Beginnings
by finchelgleek2500
Summary: Hummelberry friendship and Finchel develop when Rachel moves to Lima from St. Paul, Minnesota.
1. New Friend

**Author's Note: This is a story that I have been thinking about, I will continue if people become interested.**

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It was my first day of school as a sophomore. I had just transferred here from my other school in Minnesota. Things were definitely different here. I could tell that right away. As I entered the building, I was met with something being thrown at me. Not an object, but a liquid. A grape flavored slushie and the laugh of a jock with a Mohawk met me with a sting. Ouch. Not a good first three seconds in the school. I knew right away that my outfit that I had meticulously prepared was ruined. My white shirt had purple blotches on the front, and I could feel ice dripping into my unspeakable area. My eyes flitted around, searching quickly for a bathroom. The quicker the better, the least I could do is save me from further embarrassment.

I began to take a few steps away from where I had just been slushied. In a flash, a boy with carefully styled hair and outfit, dashed to my side.

"Hi, I'm Kurt," He said holding out his hand. "I noticed that you were new here, so I decided to take you under my wing and show you how things are at Mckinley."

I gave him a shy smile and he returned the smile with an ear-to-ear grin. He linked his arm with mine and led me to the nearest bathroom.

"Thanks," I managed. "I definitely was not expecting a slushie right when I walked through the door. Is that like a tradition here?"

Kurt thought for a second, "Sort of. It is more of a way of embarrassing people. Pretty much everyone has been slushied, new kids, losers, gays, and all those people who are highly disliked here."

"Not to start off on the wrong foot or anything, but are you gay?"

"Yes," Kurt responded. "I am gay and I am proud."

"Good. I would hope you would be proud. My dads are gay. I never knew my mother, but I hope to find her someday."

"That is unfortunate, but I am sure you will both reunite one day. I must ask though, what is your name? I have already told you mine, so I must know yours," Kurt burst out.

"Rachel," I responded, "Rachel Berry."

"That is a beautiful name. Now let's get you cleaned up."

Kurt and I shared several laughs together in the fifteen minutes we spent together in the bathroom before school started. I could tell that we would become great friends. Luckily, he happened to have some clothes in his bag, don't ask me why. He was just prepared like that. I put them on and quickly fixed my hair, while Kurt scanned my schedule and compared it to his.

"Well," Kurt started, "after close inspection, it appears that our lockers are far apart, but we have Spanish, science, and math together."

He gave me a smile and started talking again, "Tell me this, are you into singing, dancing, and performing?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You should join the Glee Club! We could definitely use some more members; I need another friend in there besides Mercedes anyways."

"I would love too, but do you think it would hurt to wait a few days and let my newness simmer down here a little bit?" I asked warily.

"Of course," Kurt said. "I understand what you mean."

With that we left the bathroom and he told me he would meet me at my locker after first period. I had to get to my locker and head to English, yuck. I walked down the hallway and scanned the lockers and found locker #2435. I approached it, and took the lock in my hands, and I began to twirl my combination into the lock. I was unsuccessful. I looked down at it this time and tried it several more times. Darn it! I am going to be late to class if I don't hurry up.

I began to try again, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Excuse me?" A husky voice behind me asked.


	2. Awkward Greetings

Author's Note: Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! I am glad people like this story! I will try my best to update as often as I can. Thanks you all for your support!

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I watched as the girl standing in front of me turned around. She looked flustered and in a rush. I had never seen her here before, so I decided that she must have been new. She was very pretty, but I had a girlfriend already. She gave me a quick look over before she opened her mouth, "Oh. Hello," she said.

"Hi," I responded like a fool.

"Do you need something?" she asked with a slightly impatient look, "If you can't tell, I am in a little bit of a rush right now."

"Well," I wasn't sure how to word this, "you are kind of standing in front of my locker." I looked directly into her eyes as I said this, and my heart melted a little. Her eyes were a beautiful dark creamy brown.

"Are you sure?" she questioned with a twinge of annoyance, "I am pretty sure that this locker is mine."

Despite her slight air of coldness, she was quite adorable, and I found myself trying to suppress a smile.

"Yes. My schedule says locker #2435."

"Well," she began, "so does mine."

"Let me see."

She took her binder out of her bag, and handed me her schedule. I quickly scanned her locker details. As I found her locker number, I couldn't stop my grin. It said locker #2436.

I opened my mouth, "I hate to tell you, but it looks like you are wrong."

I put the paper in her view, and pointed at the locker number. I watched as her reaction went from annoyance to pure embarrassment. She looked speechless, for once since I had met her.

"What?!" she screeched. "I was sure that it said 2345!"

I chuckled a little and she shot me a glare. I couldn't help it; she was such a likeable person. I wanted to know more about her.

"Looks like we are locker neighbors," I told her, "might as well have a proper introduction. I am Finn Hudson." I watched as she considered what to say next, her height made it hard for us to talk; considering that she was so short and small, and I was so tall.

She looked up, "I am Rachel, Rachel Berry."

"Well Rachel, it was a pleasure to meet you, but I would really like to be on time to my first class, and I am sure that you would like to be as well," I said with a sideways grin.

She nodded, obviously deep in thought. She walked to her locker and I stepped up to mine. I put my combination in, and opened the lock. I stuck my backpack and extra school supplies in there, I could feel her stare on me and I felt my cheeks burn.

"See something you like?" I asked with some pride.

It was her turn to blush, "No," she responded expressionlessly.

She turned away without saying goodbye, and I watched as her slim figure walked down the hallway. Had I scared her away? I sighed. I began walking in the opposite direction to my English class, not the one that Rachel had. Yes, I had studied her schedule when she had let me see it. I wanted to see if we shared any classes. It seemed as though we shared a fair few.

There was something about Rachel that I was really into. Not just her appearance, but her personality was like a star shining brightly. I was eager to learn more about her. I wanted us to at least be good friends, maybe even more. For now though, I had Quinn, even if she was a pain.

This would an interesting school year. Get ready for the charms of the great Mr. Hudson, Rachel Berry.


	3. Unavoidable Pairings

Author's Note: Thanks again for all the reviews! I am glad for feedback on my first story. I am getting addicted to writing this story. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. Let's see what happens with Finchel!

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English was a bore so far. I was sitting in the back of the classroom, alone. I really wished that Kurt had shared all of his classes with me. When I had walked through the classroom door, all eyes had been on me, but just as quickly they flitted away. I was ignored by everyone. The teacher didn't seem to notice me occupying the back of the classroom alone. I stared at the ticking clock in the front of the room. There was still 30 minutes of class left. I did my best to pay attention, but my thoughts kept wondering elsewhere.

I couldn't stop thinking about Finn. I felt bad about the fact that I had left him at his locker without saying goodbye. I was already having too many mixed emotions about him, I couldn't risk being heartbroken on the first day. He was extremely handsome, his hair was scuffed up and his eyes were a bright whiskey color. I knew he was popular, and probably a football player judging on his physique and build. The worst part of all, he probably had a girlfriend. How had I already developed such strong neighbors for a boy who shared the locker that was right next to mine? I was putting myself in a vulnerable position. My memories flashed before me. My past boyfriend Jesse had cheated on me just last year. I had decided before today that I wasn't ready to put my heart on the line again. But instead of keeping myself locked up, I had already opened myself up to a complete stranger; well Finn wasn't a stranger, but still. What was so special about him? I sighed, I should just forget him.

Before I could continue my Finn-filled thoughts, the teacher called my name. I was quickly brought out of my thoughts. "Rachel, you will be working with Noah."

Noah? Who was Noah? This was great; I had to work with a boy. No doubt, some delinquent and I would end up doing all the work. After the teacher finished reading off partners, the bell rang and I jumped out of my seat and headed for the door. Before I could exit however, someone grabbed onto my wrist with a strong grip.

I looked back at the grabber with annoyance. Then when I saw the pathetic hairstyle my annoyance grew greater. It was that Mohawk kid.

He dragged me out the door, as I struggled to release myself from his grip. When we got out the door, he finally spoke, "Hey."

I ignored him and he kept talking, "I'm Noah, but I prefer Puck."

Oh God. I had to work with him? The boy who had just this morning threw a slushie in my face?

"Well," I began, "Noah, I would prefer to get this project done quickly and efficiently."

He began to respond, "Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Anyways, before we get any further, I want to apologize for the slushie this morning. You may actually be cooler than I thought."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Not exactly the entrance that I had planned."

He grinned, "Hey, it helped you become friends with that kid, what's his name?"

"Kurt," I sighed, "Yes, I suppose so, but we would have meant eventually."

I frowned slightly as I looked down the hallway, and on the other side I saw Finn staring at us talking with an odd expression. Did I sense jealousy? No, that must be my imagination.

"Anyways, Noah," I made sure to put an extra emphasis on calling him Noah, "we can meet in the library after school tomorrow and work on our project. Okay?"

He was definitely a player, I could tell by his expression and his response, "Sure thing."

I left his smirking face and walked over to my locker where Kurt was waiting for me.

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Author's Note: No, this is definitely not a Puckleberry story. Sorry Puckleberry fans, but this is a Finchel story, I just wanted to have some jealous Finn, because personally I find jealous Finn to be really hot. Thanks again for everything, hope that everyone found this chapter satisfying.


	4. Not Exactly My Piece of Pie

Author's Note: Yeah, I am kind of bored right now at 10:58 P.M., so I said why not write another chapter? By the way, this story will always switch between Rachel's and Finn's perspectives in every chapter. If I decide to do two Finn or Rachel chapters in a row, I will make sure to let you guys know beforehand. Don't want to end up confusing anyone! Thanks again for everything!

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My English class was so boring, even if I got to sit right next to my "lovely" girlfriend. It was really annoying that she was continuously petting my hand as I tried to focus on the class, or so I told her. I was really thinking about Rachel and her soft hands. They were like silk when she handed me her schedule. I closed my eyes and relived the feeling. I wish she was in my English class. She was probably stuck in her class with nobody to talk to. Before I had met Rachel, I had thought Quinn was great. We had met last year in the second week of school. I was the star quarterback, and she was the head cheerio. I remembered first meeting her at the popular kids' lunch table. I had been mesmerized by her beauty, but when we began dating, I quickly changed my opinion about her. Sure she was still hot, but she treated me like a total piece of crap. I don't have that much self-confidence, but I know that I am better than the insults she used when I screwed up. To be honest she was kind of a bitch.

When we were in front of people, Quinn treated me like any girlfriend would treat her boyfriend. She gave me her gushy eyes and acted like she had fallen head-over-heels for me. When she pulled that act, it definitely rubbed me the wrong way. I felt used. She probably didn't even like me; popularity was the only thing that mattered to her.

My new target was Rachel. She was enchanting, everything about her was outstanding. Her aura just screamed her need for someone like me. I was beginning to sound love-struck, but what could I say? Rachel obviously had that effect on me. I looked up at the ticking clock, sitting on the edge of my seat, so that I could jump up when the bell rang. I was eager to see Rachel at her locker again, while covering up my eagerness by making a needed trip to my locker. I took my hand away from Quinn, she sneered at me, but I ignored it. She had enough problems with me as it was; there was no need to make it worse.

I heard he familiar clanging of the bell, and I quickly walked out the door before Quinn could lecture me on anything. I began to take long strides towards my locker, but looking farther down the hall, I saw something that made me freeze and tense.

Rachel and Puck were together. At the end of the hallway, they were chatting. The worst part was that Puck was smiling, which was definitely a rare sight. I felt something bubble up inside me. Before I could begin to jump to conclusions I began to think of civilized reasons of why they could be sharing a conversation. Well, maybe Puck was just trying to help Rachel make a new friend. No, I seriously doubted that possibility. Puck never cared about the new kids. Was he looking for a new girl to hook-up with? No, Puck wasn't into the new girls as much. He wanted to know them well enough to be able to predict how they would be in bed. Then I stumbled upon the answer, Rachel must have approached him. She must have found him to be mighty intriguing. I frowned in their direction, Rachel looked up and gave me a questioning look.

I quickly looked down before the hurt would show in my eyes. I walked over to my locker where the boy who had a crush on me, I believe his name was Kurt, was waiting.

"Do you need something?" I asked, I wasn't trying to be mean, but the last minute hadn't exactly been my piece of pie.

"Just waiting for Rachel," he said with a smile.

"Oh," I said, "I will wait with you. I have, um, something to talk to her about."

Kurt nodded his approval and we stood there until Rachel finished her conversation with Puck and began walking out way. Her hair was slightly billowing in the air, I couldn't help but stare.

She finally stopped in front of us.

"Well?" she asked.

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Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a lot longer than the last few, I will try and make the next Rachel chapter longer. Finn just had a lot to say about his past, and Rachel's past will come up later.


	5. Jumping To Conclusions

Author's Note: Thanks again for everything: follows, reviews, and all that good stuff. Now let's see how this conversation goes.

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Shoot. I had failed to see Finn at my locker beside Kurt while I had been talking to Puck. Apparently he had left his spot at the other end of the hallway. I gulped, he didn't look too happy, and neither did Kurt. I tried to take smaller steps as I was approaching my locker. Maybe we wouldn't have enough time to talk. I hoped.

I finally couldn't stall any longer as I reached the space right in front of Kurt and Finn.

"Hello Kurt," I said, "Finn."

They both nodded.

"Would you guys mind moving out of the way, so that I can get some things from my locker?" I asked as casually as I could.

"We have some things to talk about first," Finn said.

"Okay," I dragged out, "like what?"

"You and Puck," Kurt said, "spill."

"Oh," I stuttered slightly, "you mean Noah? We are just partners for our English class. The teacher randomly picked names, and I ended up with that dork."

I finally looked up at the both of them; did I detect a flicker of a smirk on Finn's face? I quickly let that thought go. Why would he be glad that Noah and I were only partners for a project?

"Well," Finn pointed out, "I happen to be very close friends with that dork, unfortunately. So if you have any problems with him, let me know, and I will be sure to knock some sense into him. "

"Thanks," I mumbled under my breath.

Why did Finn's presence make me nervous?

"Rachel," Kurt declared, "we should probably start getting to math." Kurt was looking between me and Finn with suspicious looks. "Actually," Kurt continued, "I think I will just meet you in math. I will save you a seat. It looks like you guys have some things to talk about."

I quickly shook my head at him while Finn wasn't paying attention. He mouthed, "Gimme the details later."

I cursed in my head; why did Kurt have to leave me with Finn. It was already odd enough how Finn seemed to be acting around me.

"Is there anything else of major importance that must be discussed right now?" As I said this, my eyes dragged up the length of his body to meet his eyes. My eyes took a brief stop at his abs, and then continued the journey up to his face. I had a feeling he knew that I was observing him, because his face was a bright red. As soon as I realized that he knew what I was doing, my face turned the same way.

He offered me a grin and began to talk quietly, "I was, um, wondering if you would, um, like to sit by me at lunch?"

I was literally was about to accept his request with enthusiasm, but then I remembered my past relationship that I had thought about in English. I also remembered the fact that Finn had a girlfriend. I really wanted to sit by him though. My heart was saying no though. His eyes were trying to bore into mine, but my head was down so I felt him stare into the back of my head.

"Sorry," at that one word I saw his face deflate and his smile left, "I already told Kurt I would sit by him, and I don't think that Kurt is a person you would like to sit by."

"Do you think you could sit by me tomorrow?" He was really desperate.

"Finn," he heard my tone and was instantly shot down, I felt bad, "I think it is best if we just remain acquaintances for a while. I don't think you being seen with someone like me would be a good idea. Popular people don't like me."

"I like you," he blurted. His face quickly blotched red.

"Thank you," I said softly, "but I still remain with the acquaintance idea."

He still looked confused, "Do you know what acquaintance means, Finn?"

"Yes. No. No. I don't," He looked embarrassed.

"We can still talk," I told him, "but we are not exactly close friends. Okay?"

The definition of the word seemed to hurt him even more. What was I thinking? He probably didn't even like me. He was probably a player and someone who cheated on his girlfriend. I didn't want to think these things about Finn, but the possibility of him actually liking me was small. My last boyfriend had been great at acting like he cared about me. Then I had found him in bed with my best friend. Maybe Finn was just pretending to like me; he could just be trying to play with me. It could just be a cruel jock joke he was pulling.

"I need to go," I quickly croaked, my voice was messed up due to the tears forming in my eyes.

Before Finn could say anything, I quickly walked down the hallway, turned a few corners and found the classroom. Kurt had indeed saved me a seat, and for that I was glad. I sat down and turned my face away from him, so he couldn't see my hurt eyes. Already, Finn Hudson had broken my heart in one day.

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Author's Note: Don't worry, I love Finn. In the end, he would never be a mean character. Things will get better, but where's the story without some drama?


	6. Unfortunate Silence

Author's Note: Sorry I would have updated this chapter quicker, but I needed to watch some Glee today! I noticed that somehow my text in chapter 4, one paragraph had been repeated, but I fixed that a few minutes ago. If there happens to be any serious typos in m stories, could you guys please let me know? Thank you!

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After Kurt had decided to go save a seat for Rachel in their math class, I thought it would be time to ask what I had been considering for a while. I wanted to ask Rachel to sit by me at lunch today.

Before I could have any second thoughts, I asked her. Her answer had been no. She had looked as though she had been about to say yes, but she had said no. She said that it would be best for us to just be acquaintances. Of course, being the idiot that I am, I didn't know what acquaintance meant. So Rachel had had to explain it to me. Why was Rachel being so unfriendly? I was trying to just be friends with her; I wanted to be her friend. I really liked her, and she seemed to deny that fact.

Maybe she had had a terrible boyfriend in the past, or maybe she hadn't had any friends from where she had moved. All I knew was that I would have to get to know her better.

Suddenly she told me that she had to go. Her voice had cracked. Was she crying? I felt bad. I didn't know what I had done though, but of course I must've done something wrong. She ran off to her class.

I sighed, opening my locker and grabbing some things that I needed for math. I left my locker and found the classroom. I had forgotten that Rachel and I happened to share this class together, and of course because she was new the seat on her left side was the only one in the classroom that hadn't been taken. She hadn't noticed me come in, because Kurt had been talking to her. He looked up and saw me, but quickly began talking to Rachel again. I stood awkwardly in the front of the room, until the teacher asked me why I was just standing there. I sat down in the seat next to Rachel. She turned slightly to see who was occupying the seat, and then turned back around to Kurt. Great, now she was ignoring me. I didn't even know why. I needed to find out though; I needed to right things with Rachel.

I ripped a piece of paper out of my notebook, and asked her why she was ignoring me. I slid the note over to her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She picked up the note and read it, as Kurt read it over her shoulder. After she read it, she crumpled it up and threw it into the recycling while the teacher wasn't looking. This wasn't working, not at all.

I decided something. The only way I would get to know Rachel better was if we hung out outside of class. I was already in Glee Club. So I would just have to talk to Kurt and get him to convince Rachel to join Glee Club. She looked like she was full of talent. I wouldn't be surprised if her voice would knock my socks off. Just her talking to me blew my mind. I couldn't imagine what her singing would do to me. I would corner Kurt at lunch and make up an excuse about why I wanted Rachel in Glee Club. Luckily, Quinn was not into singing and dancing, so I could freely talk to Rachel there. As the bell rang, I cast a sidelong glance at Rachel and I saw her eyes turn the other direction. So, she was looking at me. Maybe I could resolve this ignoring business sooner than I thought.

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Author's Note: I am excited for this week's Glee episode! You guys should watch the Glease promo on YouTube. It is awesome. It would be even more awesome if Finchel got back together though, but their fate is in Ryan Murphy's hands. Hopefully he will do the right thing in the end.


	7. Altered Decisions

Author's Note: Sorry, I was planning on updating last night, but personal issues got in the way. Anyways, I just got back from school and I am in a Finchelspirational mood (inspirational in a Finchel manner), but then again I always am, but you know I have enough right now to make random Finchel words! I am not sure how long this story will be, but I think it will end up being pretty long. Enough of me talking to myself, let's see how Rachel is feeling!

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I had taken my seat next to Kurt, and eventually he had forced me to talk to him. I quickly relayed what had just happened between Finn and me, carefully leaving out how I felt about Finn. Kurt looked surprised when I told him that Finn had asked me to sit by him at lunch, but he listened intently. Kurt was definitely a good friend. He comforted me and tried to convince me that Finn maybe really wanted to be my friend, I nodded but I didn't truly believe that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finn enter the classroom. Oh my God. I hadn't realized that we shared this class together. I turned all the way around to face Kurt as Finn slid into the seat next to me. That was the last seat, and the teacher had practically yelled at him to sit down. I laughed at something Kurt had said, trying to drown out all my thoughts and feelings about Finn. I felt a tap on my shoulder on my left side. I turned and grabbed a small piece of paper. It said: Why are you ignoring me? Kurt was reading it over my shoulder. Without thought, I crumpled it and threw it into the recycling while Finn wasn't looking.

Kurt decided to stop talking, and prepare himself for the beginning of class. I sat in a daze, staring at Finn unashamedly. The bell rang and I saw Finn's eyes dart at me briefly. I looked away as quickly as possible. I gulped; I think he had seen me staring. The teacher began talking and I took careful notes; trying my best to ignore Finn. Finally class was over. I heard the bell rang and Kurt lead me to our next class which was science. Luckily Finn didn't share that class with me, so I didn't feel nervous about his presence. Why should I be anyways? I was letting him get to me.

After science, Kurt brought me to the cafeteria and we sat down at an empty table after we bought our lunches. Right when our butts touched the seats, "Rachel, tell me now. Do you like Finn?"

My face answered the question for me. Damn my cheeks.

"You do!"

"Well," I thought about my answer for a second, "I can't control it. There is just something about him. But can you just keep this between us, for now?"

"Of course," Kurt said. "But if you guys keep acting so obvious, I am not going to have to tell anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"Do I need to say it out loud? HE LIKES YOU!"

Oh God. No. He couldn't. "Kurt, he definitely has no feelings about me, he probably has a girlfriend."

"He does," my heart sank at that it hurt to be stabbed by the possibility, but it throbbed and bled when it was confirmed, "But that doesn't mean that he couldn't still have feelings for you."

I scanned the cafeteria with my eyes, and saw Finn sitting at a table full of jocks and Cheerios, that's what Kurt told me they were called. He was sitting next to a preppy blonde girl who kind of looked like a bitch. I assumed this to be his girlfriend. I closed my eyes. She was so much prettier than me; she was beautiful, hot, everything any boy here would want. Finn didn't like me, who would like me when they could have _that._

Kurt snapped me out of my reverie. "Do you think you could stay after school and come to the Glee Club today, or do you still want to wait to join until later?"

I thought about it for a second. There was nobody to impress anymore. I would get slushied whether or not I joined Glee Club. "Sure," I answered.

"I am so excited!" Kurt exclaimed with a smile.

I was glad that joining Glee Club made him this happy; maybe I would be able to find more friends there as well. My eyes drifted back to Finn, he was staring at me. He continued staring as I stared at him. Then I finally looked away, and out of the corner of his eye I saw him look away as well.

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Author's Note: I have an honest question, do you guys think that Rachel and Finn staring at each other so often is cute, creepy, or both? I am asking this, because looking back on the past chapters, I found that I make them stare at each other a lot, maybe too much. Give me an honest answer as a review, and I will dedicate the next chapter to the first review for this chapter!


	8. Uncomparable People

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't have time to update yesterday, some family of mine was visiting and I had and still have a lot of homework, so my next update probably won't be until Saturday. I am really sorry! I hate drawing Ancient Egyptian art, but I have to finish it tonight. Thank you everyone for your patience, I only have ten minutes to write this chapter, nine now. It will be short and hopefully not too sloppy!

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I had left the math classroom quickly when the bell had rung. I had then trotted over to my next class which was science. Unfortunately, I didn't share that class with Rachel, but I shared that class with Quinn instead. I stalled entering the classroom. I did not wish to see Quinn at all. She was bothersome and overly controlling. She was using me for my popularity. I couldn't break it off yet though. Not until I found out whether or not Rachel really had feelings for me.

I finally couldn't stall any longer; I entered the classroom, but I avoided Quinn's gaze. I cursed myself for stalling, because Quinn had saved me the last seat next to her. I sat down and didn't say anything to her. Class began and she began whispering things into my ear and passing me notes. I gave her vague answers or no response at all. She didn't deserve to be heard. She was selfish and inconsiderate.

I listened as my teacher talked about the physics and chemistry and what we would be learning this year. I did my best not to zone out. As the class ended, I left Quinn in the dust. I got to the cafeteria and bought my lunch. I sat down at my usual jock and Cheerio's table. Our conversations now seemed dull and time-consuming. I could be having a better time with Rachel. Her bright outfit stood out, making it easy to find her. I watched her talk to Kurt. I thought I saw her mouth move in a way that would perfectly form my name. I must have been wrong though. I sat there staring as Quinn flirted with Sam. She had liked him for a long time now. She needs to finish this year strong though.

Finally I felt Rachel's dark eyes bore into mine. It was magic. She looked hesitant though. She looked as though she was worthless and pitiful. I watched her eyes glance to my side slightly. She was looking at Quinn and comparing herself to her. They couldn't compare. Rachel was a bright warming fire with vibrant waves of heat. Quinn was a piece of coal in a child's stocking.

I couldn't believe that was how Rachel felt. I couldn't bear to look at her hurt eyes anymore and I turned away at the same time she did.

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Author's Note: I know Sam doesn't come until Season 2, but this won't exactly follow Glee. I will maintain all of the characters, and won't be adding any of my own, that I know of.


	9. Creating Closure

Author's Note: Yay, I actually ended up having time to write another chapter before I have to go somewhere tonight! I know that this story isn't very exciting and probably won't ever end up being anywhere near popular, but I appreciate all the reviews and all other support. Thanks!

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The rest of the school day passed without any major events. My last three classes were slow, but I sat and learned studiously. I ignored the fact of whether or not Finn was in my class. He had his own life to worry about, and I had mine. At the end of the school day, I texted my dads and told them that I was going to join the Glee Club, and stay after school. Kurt led me to the choir room. I was impressed with its size and structure. It was definitely bigger than the choir room in St. Paul. I saw the piano player; he looked hard-working, but not someone who would ask a lot of questions. Kurt told me his name was Brad. I finally noticed the presence of someone else. It was my Spanish teacher, Mr. Schuester.

"Mr. Schue?" I asked confused, "What are you doing in here?"

Kurt whispered in my ear, "He is the Glee Club teacher."

OH! That made a lot of sense.

"As Kurt probably just told you," Mr. Schue stated, "I am the Glee Club teacher, and I would like to welcome you to Glee Club!"

I smiled in response. I watched as others filed in. My eyes stuck to a plaid shirt clad on a tall body. My smile faltered.

"Is something wrong?" Mr. Schue questioned.

Kurt knew who I was looking at, "I can assure you she is fine. Just a little dazed after a long day."

He winked in my direction. I stuck my tongue out at him as we took our seats nearest to the front.

Mr. Schue began talking about preparing for Sectionals. I raised my hand quietly.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"I was wondering if I would be able to sing a song."

"Of course," he responded, "The floor is all yours."

I felt those whiskey colored eyes on the back of my head as I stood up. I twirled to face my audience and scanned the Club. Two Asian kids, I shared a few classes with them. They seemed to be dating, because they were holding hands. Two Cheerios, one blonde one looking a little slow, and another one who kind of looked like a bitch. Then there was a boy who was in a wheelchair. He looked sad and lonely, but he smiled at me nonetheless. There was blonde kid with a huge mouth, and a black girl who Kurt had introduced to me. Her name was Mercedes. Then there was Noah, God no. He smirked at me and checked out my ass. He was such a pervert.

I told Brad what song I wanted to sing and took a deep breath. I got halfway through the song before I became comfortable and really let out my emotion.

_And I need you now tonight_

_And I need you more than ever_

_And if you only hold me tight we'll be holding on forever_

_And we'll only be making it right_

_Cause we'll never be wrong_

_Together we can take it to the end of the line_

_Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time_

_I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark_

_We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks_

_I really need you tonight_

That used to be our song. As in our song, I mean that it was something that Jesse and I sang to each other whenever we were sad or fighting. There was a reason I sang it though. I was ready to move from that butt twig and have a new beginning. Start a new life here at McKinley High. My eyes connected with Finn's as I finished the song with a burst of energy. He clapped evenly never breaking his gaze. I looked away as I sat back down.

"Wow!" Mr. Schue exclaimed, "Rachel you really have a voice!"

Everyone in the Glee Club nodded, applauded, and cheered. I felt satisfied on the inside. This was what I was meant to do. Sing my heart out, and for now that was all that I wanted to do.

* * *

Author's Note: New chapter coming on Saturday, maybe? If anyone has questions, I decided not to include Blaine yet and maybe not at all depending on how I feel. Quinn like I mentioned in other chapters hates singing and refuses to join the Glee Club. Otherwise, I don't think that there was anyone missing. If there was, please, please, _please _let me know. In case you guys didn't know, the song Rachel sang was Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. Yes, I know she sang it on Glee in Season 1. I just thought this was a good way for her to have some closure.


	10. Realistic Halos

Author's Note: I was going to update a chapter yesterday, but I was really depressed about Finchel's current status. I have new favorite Finchel quote though: "You're kind of my moose." "It's muse." "I know, I just wanted to see you smile." So cute! I hope Finchel will get back together though! Let's get on with the story.

* * *

As soon as school was over, I ditched Quinn at her locker and dashed to Glee Club. I had strongly hoped that Kurt had extended an invitation to Rachel. To my delight, I saw her chatting with Mr. Schue when I entered the choir room. I did my best to suppress my grin. She came. She was here. I didn't want to look like a Rachel Berry stalker though. So I quietly took my seat. I noticed with displeasure that she and Kurt took seats as far from me as possible. Kurt sent me a knowing wink. Did he know how I felt about Rachel? No. He couldn't.

Mr. Schue began talking about getting ready for Sectionals. I zoned out though, I wasn't really focused today. It was obvious, with the presence of someone like _her _in the room. My eyes were glued to her as she interrupted Mr. Schue's boring words with a raise of her hand. She had asked to sing a song. I was excited. I could finally here her voice. She was probably amazing. I had to admit, I was an O.K. singer. The girls' voices in Glee Club just didn't fit properly with my voice. I was hoping her voice would be the last piece to my jigsaw puzzle.

I heard Brad begin to play the opening notes of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. This was not a girl's song. Well it kind of was, but I knew it due to my mom. It was one of her favorite songs. Rachel was scanning the club as the introductory notes played. Finally, her mouth opened to sing the first verse. My mouth dropped at the same time Puck continued to check out Rachel's ass. She was one of a kind. Her voice was like a halo over her head. She was angel. Nearing the end of the song, emotion scarred her face. She looked sad. I wondered if anyone had broken her heart before. Maybe she had a serious past relationship. Whatever the situation, I wanted to be her fresh start, beginning now.

Next week when we had Glee Club (we had it every day after school), I would be using this week to prepare a song to welcome Rachel, personally. Of course, I would add my charm and handsome quarterback looks to make her blush and giggle. I wanted her to have a new start. Here and now.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm not exactly sure when they have Glee Club in Glee. I am not sure if it is every day or not or every other day or if it is during the day or after school. I always felt like it was during school, but they always say that it isn't a class, but that it is an extra-curricular activity, so I just decided to make it every day after school. Don't forget you guys are my MOOSE!


	11. Discouraging Smells

Author's Note: I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty good, but I had to head home early because my stepmom has to wake up early for Black Friday sales tomorrow. I wanted to watch Glee tonight, but I will watch it tomorrow; I really hope that there is some hope shown for Finchel getting back together or at least still having strong feelings for each other. The last episode was deflating, but I am hoping that they will just get over each other's wrongdoings and get back together, but I don't think that'll be the case. Before you guys get too depressed, I will begin my story.

* * *

After Glee Club, I felt a new burst of energy inside of me. Maybe being at this school could be easy, at least with the Glee Club on my side. They were close-knit. They obviously had a long history together that connected them. Each person was willing to defend each other. They were a family. As I walked home a slight drizzle began to fall overhead; I ignored it and continued to think about the Glee Club. They were inspiring and delightful. My true friends would definitely evolve out of the club. I could feel it.

My house was located about 20 minutes away from the school. I had only walked for about 5 minutes before the drizzle turned into a steady downpour. I hadn't really known what to expect from Lima's weather, so I had left my umbrella at home. I should have brought it though; Rachel Berry should always be prepared for anything and everything.

I wasn't prepared for the strong winds and sharp hail that whipped against my face though. I sighed as I trudged onward. I couldn't be too far from my house. I sure hoped I wouldn't get lost though. I was pretty sure of the location of my house, but I couldn't be positive. I mean we had moved here only two days ago. I had spent almost all of my time moving furniture in the exact way that my dads wanted it. They had drawn several diagrams then changed their minds all over again. The only time I had gotten outside was to check the mail. My memory was only working off of this morning's ride to school.

I continued walking down the school's main road and turned a few times. My clothes were soaked and my teeth chattered as my body shivered. Caught off my guard, I heard a car horn honk behind me. I turned with suspicion and wondered if that honk was directed towards me. Through the windshield wipers of a '90's car, I saw those familiar whiskey-colored eyes that I could never forget even after one day. It actually hadn't even been one day. I tried to continue walking at a brisk pace, but he sped up and halted his car beside the sidewalk where I was standing. I stood uncomfortably and watched the window roll down in what felt like slow motion.

The husky voice that added more goosebumps to my arms and legs spoke up, "Get in. Don't argue about it either."

I tried to think of some way to squirm out of this, but I decided that I was too exhausted to fight back. I combed my wet hair back behind my ear nervously, "Are you sure you have time to do this?"

"Of course," he returned with a look of amazement, "What kind of friend would I be if I left a new kid out in this kind of weather?"

Before I could find another excuse, he used his long arm to open the passenger side door. I sat on the edge of the seat; this was no place to be getting comfortable.

I examined his car slowly. The first thing that I noticed right away was the smell. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. I smelled the scent of perfume; a girl's perfume. Of course, it was his girlfriend's perfume. I immediately sat up straighter and scooted farther to the edge of the seat.

"Is there a problem?" he asked with a worried expression on his face, "I know this car is a little old, but this is what I could afford."

"There's no problem," I said trying to keep my voice even, "I just want to make sure that this ride won't cause any problems for your family, or, you know, anyone else."

Of course he didn't understand my insinuation, at all. "Just get comfortable."

I finally realized that we were moving. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"I assumed you lived in this direction, because you were walking this way when I picked you up."

Maybe he wasn't as slow as I thought; he seemed to put some things together pretty quickly. But with other things, he was completely oblivious. I told him my address and a sideways grin erupted on his face.

"Hey," he began, "that's only a few blocks down from where I live!"

I smiled. The rest of the drive was quiet. By the time he had drove to the front of my house, my shoulders had relaxed and I wasn't exactly on the edge of the seat anymore.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile. I opened the door and began sauntering to my door.

Before I could open it, I heard his voice call my name, "Rachel! From now on, you will be getting a ride home from me every day. I don't want you walking this far out especially at this time. Glee Club sometimes ends later than this and I just don't think you enjoy getting home this wet every day."

I thought it over for a second, and then reluctantly nodded. What harm could a ride do? Besides, I had wanted to have a new beginning, new friends, and all that. I waved and thanked him again over the strong winds and opened the door to my house.

Finn Hudson was very unique. I wanted to get to know him, but was it good for my still wounded heart to be exposed to this snake; this snake that could be my friend, or also become the venomous poison that would wound me. That was more than I could take. However, I knew that the old Rachel Berry wouldn't take this risk, but the new Rachel should. I hope that this risk would be for the best.

* * *

Author's Note: Personally, I think that this chapter was pretty good, due to the fact that I spent a lot of time working on it. Happy Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to watching the Glee episode tomorrow; I hope that there will be some new Finchel quote for me to insert into my next chapter!


	12. Hesitant Decision-Making

Author's Note: Well, I watched Glee today! I was a little disappointed that they didn't show any New York, but otherwise the episode was good. I like Season 4, but I feel like it is very different from the original Glee and all that it was. I mean for example in Season 1, each person in Glee seemed to receive an equal amount of attention and were shown at least once on the show. They sometimes focused on one or two people as the main topic of an episode, but still allowed whole group interaction. Now in Season 4, sometimes some characters aren't shown, or the new kids receive more camera time then Tina for example. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the new characters, but I don't want to have the original Glee Cast be tossed off to the side and forgotten either. So I am kind of torn.

* * *

After Glee, I got into my old car and turned the engine on. I was exhausted, and it had only been one day. I drove straight for a minute or two, and the slight drizzle turned into a heavy downpour. I hated driving home in the rain. I turned on my radio and turned it off again in the next three seconds. Every station was playing a commercial or some song that I didn't like. I looked out the window and wondered if anyone was walking outside in the weather. If they were, I would feel really sorry for them. I turned a few corners and saw a familiar petite figure struggling to walk down the sidewalk. Was that… Rachel? I saw her familiar eyes lock with mine and her pace quickened as fast as her small body and the wind would allow. My car quickly caught up and I pulled over.

I wouldn't listen to her arguments. I was giving her a ride home. She hesitantly agreed and got in. I watched from the corner of my eye; she seemed tense. Sitting with a straight back and her butt was on the edge of the seat. I crinkled my forehead and my eyebrows, and asked if something was wrong.

She rushed to answer that she was fine, but I seriously doubted that. She looked surprised when I continued in the general direction of her house; how stupid did she think I was? By the time we had reached her house I had found her to be slightly more relaxed, but still tense and alert. I had also found that she only lived a few blocks away from my house, so I quickly made a decision. I called to her from my car before she opened her door to her house. She had accepted my offer hesitantly, but she had accepted it, so that was good, right? I was glad that I was going to be the one to take Rachel home after school each day. I left her house after making sure that she had gotten inside and eventually arrived at my own house.

I opened the door yelling, "Mom, I am home!"

It was hard growing up without a dad sometimes. My mom and I worked together to make it happen. We weren't very communicative, but we understood each other. She did her best to play both parental roles; she must have been doing something right, because I had gotten this far. Anyhow, I have always been grateful for my mom.

She greeted me and offered me a grilled cheese sandwich. I happily obliged and gobbled it down. She then curiously asked how my first day had gone.

I simply responded, "It was good."

"Are you still dating that Quinn girl?" she scrunched her nose as she asked. My mom hated Quinn, she thought that she was stuck-up and a bitch. I wasn't denying it, at least not anymore.

"Yes, Mom" I responded glumly. I was now viewing Quinn with new eyes; she wasn't who I had thought. For her, popularity was all that mattered.

My mom locked eyes with me, "Did you meet anyone new?"

"Well," I trailed off in thought, "there was this one girl, named Rachel."

My mom's eyes twinkled as I continued, "She is new and I decided to take her under my wing, and she has to walk home from school, so I decided to drive her home after school instead. Don't worry Mom, she only lives a few blocks down from us, but if it becomes necessary I will pay for the extra gas money with some of my own money."

She smiled, "Well Finn, I am glad that the manners I taught you early on haven't gone to a complete waste. I would like to meet this Rachel girl sometime. We should invite her family over to dinner sometime; you know how much I love welcoming new families into the area."

I blushed a little at her praise and the thought of Rachel joining us for dinner. I nodded and started helping her prepare dinner as we set our table for two. As we sat down, I felt the annoying buzz of my cellphone vibrating in my pocket. I took my phone out and opened my new text. Of course, it was from Quinn.

Quinn: Finn, tomorrow I will be coming over to your house.

I quickly answered.

Me: Why?

Quinn: We need to start planning our campaigning strategies to win Prom King and Queen this year, and it has been awhile since you have actually spent some money, time, and attention on me. After all, I am your girlfriend, so you shouldn't be questioning my authority to invade your home.

Me: I have Glee Club tomorrow.

Quinn: Yes, yes, I know you go to that stupid, waste-of-time club every day. Immediately after that you can drive me to your house and then get started on our campaigns, and then you could take me to Breadstix for dinner.

Me: I suppose.

This was my girlfriend? I was in deep shit. How would I be able to take Rachel home when Quinn was expecting me to take her to my house? After I finished eating dinner, I stood up and walked up the stairs to my room. I sat down on my bed and considered my options. I could either tell Rachel the truth, or act like I had forgotten and apologize the next day, but there was no telling if I would be forgiven. Rachel knew I had a girlfriend, most likely, but if I told her the truth maybe she would never be into me. I decided to play innocent and pretend that I had forgotten. I would tell her that I was so used to driving home alone, that I had completely forgotten. Rachel was very understanding, surely she would forgive me?

I fell back onto my bed and closed my eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: I am going to watch the newest Glee episode again tomorrow. Haha. Well I hope that everyone had a great Black Friday, whether or not any shopping occurred. I had fun watching Wreck –It Ralph with my friend; Jane Lynch did a great job! I am really thankful for my continuous fans that are following this story! Thank you! In the next chapter some dramatic events will occur. By the way, I don't hate Quinn as an individual. I only hate Fuinn, when Quinn is actually being nice and not being in a relationship with Finn, then I actually like her character. So please don't think that I hate Quinn all the time, because I know that I made her sound REALLY mean in this chapter.


	13. Facing Truths

Author's Note: After tomorrow school is starting up again! My week off was fun while it lasted. I am going to West Side Story tomorrow, because I got it from the library. I am really excited to watch it. That's pretty much all I have to say…

* * *

As I opened the door to my house, I was immediately swarmed by both of my dads. Questions were thrown at me all at once in their excitement. I was used to their different kinds of speech, so I easily and coolly answered all of their questions. I told them about my ride arrangement with Finn and they were glad that I had made a nice friend like that. I also mentioned Kurt and how nice he had been to me this morning. My dads were satisfied with my brief summary of my day, and then asked for my help in preparing our vegan meal.

After dinner, I changed into my pajamas and headed to my room. Before I went to sleep though, I spent some time picking a song to sing in Glee Club tomorrow. I finally decided upon one that fit my past relationship and my past school life. I set my alarm for early tomorrow morning at 5 A.M. Each morning I would go outside and run a mile or so, to stay in shape.

I got into my bed and pulled two blankets over the top of me. Today had been an interesting day. I was actually looking forward to my next day of school. I sighed and closed my eyes.

I awoke to the sound of my favorite Barbra Streisand song, which I had set as my alarm. I walked into my bathroom, cleaned my face, and took a quick shower. I then changed into a sports bra and some shorts, and headed downstairs. I put an orange on the counter, so that I could eat it when I got home. I headed out the door and ran a few blocks and turned around to run back to my house. On the way back I began to survey the surrounding houses on what would now become my daily path to run. The houses were very nice in this area. I passed a particularly nice-looking olive green two-story house. Scanning it fully I noticed someone watching me from the window. Oh my God. It was Finn. His eyes were directed a little lower than my face and I quickly turned my gaze away from the window and sped up.

When I got home, my dads drove me to school and I walked in and went to my locker. Finn was already there putting stuff into my locker.

I decided to ignore what had happened this morning and politely greeted him. He gave me a smile and briskly walked to his class. What was up with him? The day passed peacefully. Finally school was over and I walked to choir room with Kurt.

We talked about the theme of Sectionals, which was apparently creativity. That was a very broad theme, so I was sure we wouldn't have any problems finding songs to sing. Then after a few people sang some songs they had prepared, I got up with my song that was ready in my mind.

_I know I can't take one more step towards you_

_Cause all that's waiting is regret_

_And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore_

_You lost the love I loved the most_

_I learned to live half alive_

_And now you want me one more time_

_And who do you think you are_

_Running 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_And tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_So don't come back for me_

_Who do you think you are?_

_I hear you're asking all around_

_If I am anywhere to be found_

_But I have grown too strong_

_To ever fall back in your arms_

I really thought that I put just the right amount of emotion into this song. I felt the pain of nobody at my school liking me or talking to me. Then one day I had met Jesse, he had made me swoon, but then he had broken my heart. Some insults from the kids at my old school still sat in my heart, gently tugging but not pulling strong enough to tear me fully apart.

I had received much applause and after Glee I chatted with Kurt for a few minutes and we exchanged phone numbers, so that we could text. I hurried and rushed to get outside in case Finn was wondering where I was. When I got outside the building however, my heart quickly sank and my throat became dry. Finn was at his car all the way across the parking lot. He was _opening the door for his girlfriend._ What kind of sick joke was he playing on me? Promising me a ride home and then forcing me to watch him open the door of his car for his girlfriend. My eyes began to swarm with tears and my vision blurred as I headed in the direction of my house. They had probably planned it together. He had never genuinely meant to take me home. He had meant to embarrass me; he had wanted me to see him get in his car with that girl.

I took deep breaths, but no matter how much I tried to stop them my tears continued to flow. I didn't want to be recognized, so I pulled up my hood and pulled it as far as I could over my eyes, but still allowing myself to have enough vision to keep walking. I thought about the song that I had sung in Glee Club today, this now applied to Finn as well. I didn't want anybody to hurt me again; I didn't want to talk to him. I watched the cars passing and my eyes locked on the familiar '90's car. I saw a blonde look at me through the side view mirror and sneer. Finn turned a little in his seat and saw me. He grimaced. Was that supposed to be some form of an apology? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Clearly Finn wasn't who I had thought he was. Maybe he was just as much of a bitch as his girlfriend.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Lima was exactly like St. Paul.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was a little depressing, I know. It didn't come out exactly the way I had planned, but I guess that's how writing works sometimes. Thanks for everything! You guys are always my moose.


	14. Throbs of the Chest

Author's Note: I am really sorry for taking forever to update! I have been super busy studying for my huge Ancient Egyptian Unit Test! Now I am done, and am I glad!

* * *

I woke up this morning to the sound of my mom calling my name, repeatedly. She was great at waking me up. Last night had definitely left me drowsy. I hadn't slept well due to some Rachel-induced dreams that I had had. Now that I think about it, they weren't really dreams. They were more like nightmares. Rachel crying, Rachel making out with Puck, Rachel slapping me in the face, all things that I imagined that would result out of the decision that I had made yesterday. I tried my best to shake the image out of my head, and headed down the stairs. The strong scent of pancakes wafted into my nostrils from the kitchen. I smiled as I saw my mom humming as she whipped up some Monday morning pancakes.

I opened the fridge and took out butter, maple syrup, blueberries, and whipped cream. My mom and I sat down and dug into the pancakes. I loved food. I was a big guy, so I need a lot of food, right? I mean I try to diet and eat healthy, but it doesn't always work out. My self-confidence about my body wasn't very high though, especially because Santana and Quinn, my own girlfriend, always insulted my body directly in front of my face. The insults didn't exactly bounce off of my "layers of fat". My mom always encouraged me to eat more though, and she always reassured me that I was in great shape.

"Finn," my mom said, "I won't be home until around 11 o' clock tonight. I am assuming you were already planning on doing something with Quinn?"

I nodded glumly, "We have plans to go eat at Breadstix tonight."

"Well," she sighed, "I guess you have dinner taken care of, then? Just be sure to get home around 10:30; you still have school tomorrow."

"Okay."

I sighed as I cleared the table and headed up to my room to get ready for school. I changed into my usual polo collar shirt and a pair of jeans, combed my hair, and opened the blinds in my room. The sunlight illuminated my room. As I looked out of the now open window, I saw a flash of pink that distracted me from getting ready. I looked out from the window and carefully examined the street. My eyes locked upon a small familiar petite figure, Rachel. I couldn't help my eyes from wandering across the length of all of her exposed skin. She looked beautiful even as she ran. With droplets of sweat running down her face and her neck, she continued to run at a steady and continuous pace. She was fast. I hadn't imagined Rachel as the athletic kind, but now that I saw her like this, I wasn't so sure. Rachel's tan skin combined with her dark wavy hair was a sunbeam compared to Quinn's average looks.

I bet Rachel had seen me staring at her by now, but I didn't care. She had seemed so unselfconfident about her looks, I wanted her to feel her beauty. She should feel the way that she looks. She was beautiful, radiant, and shining bright. I looked away after she passed out of my vision.

I drove myself to school, got out of my car, and walked into the building. I suddenly felt a burst of guilt zap my insides. Rachel would be crushed. I had already made my decision though. I just wasn't sure if I could bear to see Rachel hurt, or even worse be the person who was hurting Rachel. I stalled as I walked to my locker. I hoped that Rachel had already been to her locker, but as I began to put my stuff away, Rachel approached. She greeted me with a smile and I nodded and smiled in acknowledgement. She stepped back a little bit; her expression was a mix of hurt and confusion. Before I could do anything stupid, I walked briskly to my next class.

I turned around slightly as I rounded the corner and saw Rachel walk to her class. I felt my chest throb for a second with a slight pain. The day passed peacefully, until Glee Club.

Mr. Schue seemed to keep talking about Sectionals, ad infinitum. Last year we had lost to the Warblers. According to Mr. Schue, if that happened again this year, Glee Club would be over. Of course I didn't want that to happen, but Mr. Schue was worrying a little too much.

I watched as people volunteered to sing some songs as some possibilities for Sectionals performances. My eyes finally stayed trained on Rachel as she began singing _Jar of Hearts _by Christina Perri. I watched her eyes cloud over in her deep depth of emotion. She finished strong, and I applauded louder than anybody else.

"Wow, Rachel," Mr. Schue announced, "that was really good. I think that would be a great way to open up Sectionals. We could split the song into several solos between you, Santana, Brittany, Tina, and Mercedes."

After Mr. Schue told us that Glee Club was over, I quickly rushed out of the room as I saw Rachel and Kurt exchanging phone numbers across the choir room. I found Quinn in the parking lot and herded her to my car quickly. I opened her door and then opened mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the familiar small body and wavy long hair sway in the strong wind. I didn't dare to make eye contact though. I wasn't really a nice person. I didn't even have the nerve to tell Rachel the truth.

I started the car with a sigh and zoned out as Quinn blabbed about campaigning ideas and strategies, this and that. I drove for a good five minutes before we stopped at a stop sign. I saw Rachel standing with her bright pink hood covering her small head, walking home through the harsh weather. Should I offer her a ride? Did I dare see what kind of wrath Quinn would release; besides Rachel wouldn't accept, either out of embarrassment, anger, or any other strong emotions, right? Quinn glared at her out of the side view mirror, and I resisted the urge to slap her arm. I finally gathered the courage to make eye contact with her, and gave her a grimace that would be just the beginning of an apology. She looked away quickly and sped up.

I had never felt worse. We finally arrived at my house, and I suffered through Quinn's plans and poster making skills. We spent three hours working. Three hours of my life wasted. I wondered how long it had taken Rachel to get home. At 7 o' clock, I decided that I wasn't in the mood to go to Breadstix. I made a quick excuse to Quinn that I had an important test to study for tomorrow, but instead I headed to my backpack and picked up the school directory that we had received at school today. It listed the name of every person in our school. I found the section with the B's, and located the number I was looking for.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! A little sad, because there was no Finchel in the Thanksgiving episode, but what is there to expect? The songs were great, but I feel SO bad for Marley! I was a little lazy on editing, so hopefully it's okay. If it isn't, let me know. Thanks again!


	15. Familiar Voices

Author's Note: Hey. I have been busy lately, but that should clear up soon. Thanks for your guys' constant patience. Enjoy.

* * *

When I finally reached my house, I unlocked the door and walked to my room without greeting my dads. After about fifteen minutes later, I heard a knock on my door and both of my dads' voices.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

I stayed where I was on my bed and left their question unanswered. After a few more knocks, they decided that something had obviously happened, and that it would be best to just give me my space. I was grateful that my dads worried about me, but they weren't nosy. I sighed and allowed my head to sink lower onto the pillow. I decided to leave my homework for later tonight. I wasn't really in the mood to do anything. I already found Lima to be worse than St. Paul. Right now I just felt very alone. At the thought of a friend, I remembered how Kurt had given me his number. I carefully removed it from my pocket and unfolded the paper to reveal the very neat and perfect handwriting of Kurt. I found my phone in my bag and saved Kurt's number into my phone. Soon after that, I wrote out a text that was careful to hide my current emotional status.

Me: Hey Kurt. It's Rachel.

I received a response in record time. Maybe Kurt would prove to be a very trustworthy friend.

Kurt: Hey girl! What's up?

Me: Not much. I just got home.

Kurt: Is something wrong? You don't sound like the Rachel Berry I know.

Dang it, I was never good at disguising my emotion.

Me: I am fine, Kurt.

Kurt: If you say so…. Anyways, I wanted to properly invite you to my sleepover on Friday night! We will spend all night watching Broadway musicals, giving each other facials, and makeovers! We will also be going shopping after school on Friday, because…. Well, I hate to break it to you, but your wardrobe doesn't exactly cut it here in Lima.

I smiled at Kurt's invitation, but was frowning by the end of his text.

Me: I would love to have a sleepover at your house on Friday! Kurt, I hate to break it to YOU, but my wardrobe is superb.

Kurt: …

Me: Fine…. I suppose I could use an uplift with some shopping.

Kurt: Yay! I can't wait! By the way, you will be telling me why you are so depressed first thing tomorrow morning.

Kurt was a great friend. He greeted me with open arms. He probably knew what it was like to feel how I did in St. Paul. He probably had the worst end of it though. I was very glad that Kurt was willing to be my friend though. Texting Kurt had definitely lifted my spirits, so I began planning out my project with Puck. I had completely forgotten to meet him after school today; I felt really bad, and even though I hated him, I would have to apologize tomorrow. I had been so distracted by Finn and his enticing aura. I wouldn't think about him now though.

I listened to music and did my homework until around 6:30, and then there was a knock on my bedroom door. I hadn't been hungry when my dads had made dinner, so I had assumed that they were bringing me my food.

"Yes?" I questioned.

"Phone for you," my dad said when he opened the door.

I took the phone from him and lifted it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey," I heard a certain familiar husky voice that I had purposely had been trying to forget imagining.

I shook my head and tried again, "Hello?"

"Rachel?"

Oh God. It was him.

* * *

Author's Note: I bet you guys can all guess who it is. Glee on Thursday! Cross your fingers for a Finchel scene that will create some hope for Finchel getting back together! Short chapter! AHHH! Finn's POV will be longer, because I just more for him to say right now... Rachel will get her spotlight, don't worry!


	16. Imprinting Words

Author's Note: I know. I know. I have been pretty lazy on updating recently. I haven't been like unavoidably busy, but apparently the speakers on my laptop aren't working, so I have been trying all week to fix them, with no luck. AHHHH! Anybody watch the new Glee episode? It was OK, up until the Brochel scenes, but the Finchel scene in the end made up for it. The fact that Rachel called Finn, shows that she still has some feelings for him, right, maybe?

* * *

I picked up my phone and quickly dialed Rachel's home phone number into it. I suddenly felt nervous. She probably really hated me right now. Actually, I take that back. She hates me right now. I had told, no, promised her a ride home each and every day, and what did I do? Exactly the next day after I had made that airtight promise, I had broken it. Just thinking of her expression made me feel worse.

One ring, two rings, three rings, right before I expected it to go to voicemail, a man, who must've been one of her dads (I knew this from my mom "doing some research"), picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said, obviously surprised to be having a caller right now.

"Uh, hi." I stumbled out.

I could feel his tense confusion even through the phone, "And who might this be?"

"Finn," I responded, slowly gaining confidence, "Finn Hudson. I am friends with Rachel."

I quickly regretted those words. Maybe Rachel had told him who I was, and what I had done to her. I cringed in fear as I heard no response for about a minute.

Then I heard soft breathing.

"Hello?" a feminine voice answered. It was obviously Rachel; my heart beat faster as my breathing aligned with hers.

"Hey," I said; my voice low, husky, and deep due to my nervousness.

A few seconds later, Rachel spoke again in confirmation, "Hello?"

"Rachel?" I asked. Why was she acting so strange?

"Finn," I heard through the speaker, "where did you get my number?"

"Uh," I began, "I maybe, sorta, kinda looked it up in the directory…."

She paused for a few seconds, probably carefully rewording her next response.

"Why did you call?"

Yep. She was still mad. Of course she was. Who wouldn't be mad after what I had done?

"I… Wanted to apologize," I said, "for what I did. It wasn't cool, and I should have plucked up the courage to tell you that I couldn't drive you home."

"I don't really feel like listening to your apologies right now, Finn."

That hit me right in the heart, hard.

"Oh," I disappointedly let out.

"Well," she began, "I won't need a ride from you anymore, anyways."

"And why is that?" I swallowed nervously. This wasn't going at all how I had planned.

"I am perfectly capable of walking home on my own. I don't need you or anyone else to stand me up for other things, after making promises that appeared trustworthy to me."

"Rachel," I said, "it isn't safe. It is usually dark after Glee practice. Just let me drive you home. If I ever break the promise again, you don't have to accept rides from me ever again. Give me another chance."

"Finn, do I strike you as stupid? Did you think that calling me up with an insincere and clearly not thought-out apology would have me readily falling into your arms? I am not a fool, Finn. I need time to think. I really trusted you, but now I am not so sure. Maybe you are just the dumb jock that I thought you were at first glance, but maybe you aren't. I _want_ to believe that you aren't, but you have to show me that I am making the right decision in believing that. I need friends, Finn. I wanted and still want you to be one of them, but you deeply hurt me, and I am not ready to forgive you yet. "

Those words really stuck in my head. Rachel didn't want to see me as the stereotypical dumb jock that everyone thought I was; she believed in me more than that. She saw more in me, than I did myself. A warm bubbly feeling filled my body. She said yet, which meant that she would forgive me at some point. Who knew how long that would be though? I couldn't stand not being in close contact with Rachel for more than a day, as already proven. I didn't want to pressure her into forgiving me though.

"I understand," the words came out of my mouth, even before I began thinking about them, "What I did was wrong, and I will give you the time you need to forgive me. Just do something for me, Rachel."

"What?"

"Please stay safe. I don't want to see or hear your name on the news."

"Okay, Finn."

"I will see you tomorrow, Rach."

I heard the faint whispering, but it was there, "Bye, Finny."

Had she really just responded to my nickname for her with Finny? It was so Rachel, but she would be the only one who I would ever allow to call me that, except maybe my mom. But when it came from Rachel, it just sounded so natural and right when.

I couldn't deny it any longer. I was definitely falling head over heels for a Ms. Rachel Berry.

* * *

Author's Note: Finn is adorable. Finchel is amazing. 'Nough said. Have you guys seen Cory Monteith's interview on Ellen? He totally admits to Monchele! YAY.


	17. Be Different

Author's Note: I don't really have anything to say, but I will probably come up with something to say by the end of this chapter.

* * *

Wow. Finn Hudson had called me. The most popular guy in school had called the new kid. It had been so tempting to forgive him. He had been right in the grasp of my fingertips. If I had told him to bring me the moon, he would've found a way to do it. He had sounded so faithful, so unlike the other Finn that I had seen earlier today.

I felt bad though. I wanted to believe that he hadn't meant to hurt me. I wanted to believe that he was _different_. I sighed as all thoughts about Finn flipped and flopped in and out of my head. I fell to sleep clutching the phone, as though it served as some kind of lifeline. Of course, my dreams were infested with Finn. They were vivid, but at the same time all I could remember was his face flashing with several familiar expressions of his. His half grin, his cheesy smile, his flirty wink, his blushing face, all of the things that just made me melt my defensive walls around him.

I awoke at 5 A.M. I was very shaken up by the Finn-filled dreams. I was developing an almost stalker-like crush on a Mr. Finn Hudson. I got in the car with my dads and they dropped me off at the school. Kurt was somehow immediately at my side, and opened his mouth before I could even blink, "What happened yesterday, Rachel? Tell me now. I refuse to let you inside the building until you tell me."

"Kurt," I rolled my eyes in slight annoyance at him, "you don't need to make a big deal out of it. I was just being a drama queen as usual."

Kurt glared at me with his still present look of suspicion, "I will find out what happened yesterday. "

I turned toward the entrance and began gaining speed as I approached it. I could hear Kurt behind me; he was struggling to keep up, which was what I had planned. He finally decided to let me go for now, and I began trying to open the door. I was having problems, because in my spare time yesterday, I had completed Noah and I's complete project. It would save me time and effort of having to deal with him. I probably gained both of us a better grade anyways. The project had been a written report, and I had also added a visual display that was currently occupying my hands. I felt it slipping from my hands as I finally had my hand on the handle of the door.

Suddenly I felt a very tall presence behind me. Then I heard that voice that continuously ran on huge amounts of huskiness, "Here, I got it."

Those strong arms reached around me, opened the door, and held it open as I walked through. I struggled to meet his eyes as he entered as well.

"Thanks," I quietly whispered.

"It's not a problem," he said, trying to direct his stare at my eyes, but I was making it hard for him.

"Let me walk you to your locker," he offered, "We are locker buddies, right?"

I almost smiled. I swear this boy knew how to elicit any emotion from me; he could have me giggling in one moment and bawling in the next.

I nodded. I mean I couldn't really refuse. His locker was really _right _next to mine.

We walked down the hallway in an awkward silence. I felt him glance at me, and I continued to walk forward. We finally reached our lockers, took what we needed for first period, and turned to walk to our separate classrooms. Before I could start walking though, I heard Finn say, "See you later, Rach."

Oh yeah, I forgot, he could also make my heartbeat increase with only four words. I was definitely falling for Finn's ridiculous charm and adorableness.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter wasn't really exciting, but the next Rachel POV will be about her shopping trip with Kurt! I am really excited to write that chapter. Haha. Thanks for reading!


	18. Hurtful Insults

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed their Sundays! I didn't really do anything, but I spent most of the day listening to music and singing, so I am pretty satisfied with my day. Let's listen to what Finn has to say!

* * *

As I walked to the entrance of the school, I saw Quinn standing on the curb of the parking lot sidewalk. She was laughing at one of Sam's jokes or impersonations. I wasn't jealous; I didn't even really feel anything at all. I had actually been hoping that Quinn would break up with me, but I knew that wouldn't happen until she won Prom Queen. Breaking up with Quinn was something that I had been contemplating even before Rachel came here. Rachel's arrival, however, had made it very obvious about how bad my relationship with Quinn really was.

I smiled at the thought of being in a relationship with Rachel. I didn't even love Quinn, let alone like her. I looked at the main entrance and saw just the girl I was looking for. Rachel was struggling to open the door due to the small size of her arms and the large size of her project. I suppressed a grin and said, "Here, I got it."

I reached both of my arms around her and opened the door for her. I wanted to keep my arms around her; her size was a perfect fit for the space between my arms, but I decided to release her, because this could quickly become awkward for her.

She thanked me after we both walked into the school. I tried to make eye contact with her, but she refused to look up and meet my gaze. I decided to stop trying, and instead offered to walk her to her locker. She reluctantly nodded and we began to walk down the hallway. After we took our stuff out of our lockers, she turned to move to her next classroom. I didn't know what to say, but I wanted to say something, so I said, "See you later, Rach."

She stopped walking for a second and looked over her shoulder slightly. I winked back at her, and she rolled her eyes in response. I sighed as I walked to my first period class. Of course, this was one of many classes that I shared with Quinn. I listened as the teacher talked about literary devices and all that. Quinn passed me a note.

Quinn: Had fun studying yesterday?

She was obviously mad that I had blown her off yesterday for our plans. But did I care, no, not really.

Me: Yeah. I have a good feeling about my grade on the quiz next week.

She didn't even bother to respond to my messy scrawl. She rolled her eyes and tossed the piece of paper into the recycling. It was so strange to compare her to when she was around me, to when she was around Sam. I took careful notes and kept my work organized. I had decided that Rachel liked guys who were able to keep up with her intellectually and musically. If that was what she wanted, then that was who I would become.

After fourth period passed by, it was finally time for lunch. I headed to the cafeteria, bought my lunch, and sat down at a different table. It was the table that I had seen Rachel and Kurt sit at yesterday. I heard soft, light footsteps approaching behind me.

"Finn?" Rachel voiced in her usual gentle tone.

She sat down next to me and raised her eyebrows, "Why are you sitting here?"

I didn't even have to think about my answer, "I wanted to sit with you."

I watched as her cheeks became stained with a rosy pink.

"Finn, that's very nice, but I don't think this will be helpful for your reputation."

"I don't care," I shrugged my shoulders. I had worked hard for years to get to the top, but now it literally just felt like a burden on my shoulders that I was ready to release.

"What about," she paused, "your…. You know…"

"What?" I questioned. I didn't understand what she was trying to ask me.

"You know… Your," she cleared her throat and spoke the rest quickly, "Your girlfriend."

"She won't mind."

That was half lie. She wouldn't mind, because it would give her time to flirt with Sam. She would also mind though, because it would look bad if it looked like I wasn't even in love with my girlfriend. No one would vote for us if they knew I would want to be with another girl. Her flirting with Sam didn't really help, but I never brought it up. I didn't care about winning Prom King though. I didn't even want to go to prom with Quinn. I wanted to have a special first prom dance; it had to be with someone who I really loved.

Rachel eyed me suspiciously. She finally decided to let it go and unpacked her lunch. I noticed right away that either she was _really_ healthy, or she had a very strict diet set for herself. She saw me staring at her food, and said, "I'm vegan. I don't eat animals or foods produced by an animal."

Wow. I was amazed by her willpower. I could never give up meat or dairy products. No wonder she was so small. She probably didn't get all of the nutrients and protein she needed, but otherwise her health was great.

Kurt finally came and we shared many stories and had a lot of fun. If this was what I had been missing out on, I would never choose to sit at the jock table anymore. I had never really felt welcome, or even slightly enjoyed our conversations. I had forced so many smile and cruel jokes, that now it just made me sick.

Everything was amazing until after sixth period. School had wrapped up and I had walked down the hallway to find Quinn insulting Rachel at her locker.

"-get it Man Hands? Stay away from him. Why would someone like him be into a piece of fat dwarf like you?"

Rachel turned away and was struggling to keep the tears from flowing. Rachel was very emotional, but I loved that about her. I could always tell how she was feeling. I was pissed. I walked over to where Rachel was standing and gently grabbed her arm in an affectionate manner. She pulled her arm away aggressively and ran to the bathroom.

I turned to Quinn and addressed her with a glare, "Quinn, leave Rachel alone, or else we are finished. I don't want to hear your excuses. If you have the right to continue flirting with Sam, then I have the right to make _real _friends. Keep out of my business. Rachel is beautiful."

Her mouth dropped slightly about the fact that I knew about her flirty exchanges with Sam.

Before she could respond with a lie, excuse, or anything else, I ran into the girls' bathroom without second thought. My heart throbbed at the sound of sobbing.

* * *

Author's Note: Poor Rachel. Maybe Quinn wasn't _that_ mean to Rachel, but in my perspective that is how mean I always saw anyone who hurt Rachel *cough cough* Jesse St. James…. Look for a new update tomorrow! I also have a question... Do you guys like longer chapters or shorter chapter, or do you just not really have a preference?


	19. Cramped Spaces

Author's Note: AH! So sorry for such a long break! I got a detention this week at school… Long story :/ Let's just say that I have problems standing up to people. Anyways for this story, I found that people are beginning to lose some interest due to my terrible writing skills and the short length of the chapters, so I am going to write longer chapters and make them more interesting, hopefully. I appreciate the compliments and the constructive criticism!

* * *

When sixth period had finished, I went back to my locker to drop off my textbooks, bad decision. Someone was there waiting for me. I didn't know her name, but I was pretty sure her name was Quinn, otherwise known as _her_, or mainly as Finn's girlfriend. It was too late to turn around though. She had already spotted me with her piercing green eyes, some might find them strikingly beautiful, but momentarily I found them extremely intimidating. Her eyes scanned up and down at my outfit. Her mouth slowly curled into a sneer. I swallowed a gulp and finally reached my locker; how she knew where exactly my locker was, I was clueless. I ignored her and opened my locker and quickly put my stuff away. Before I could walk away from this downhill-heading situation, _she_ grabbed my wrist roughly.

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" I timidly asked the blonde-haired girl with the supermodel looks.

"Yes, new student, there is most definitely a problem," she glared at me, "I'm Quinn Fabray, by the way, head Cheerio, and most importantly the head quarterback's girlfriend."

I opened my mouth to respond, but she spoke up faster than me, "Don't think that I haven't seen you eyeing Finn, and hanging out with him, as though he would even think about you. You aren't attractive, whatsoever; you are just some ugly, fat girl who needs to learn where to _not_ stick her big beak. Keep yourself and your obviously blindly created outfits far away from Finn and me. Do you get it, Man Hands? Stay away from him. Why would someone like him be into a piece of fat dwarf like you?"

I had been trying to hold in all my pent up emotions, but after those last few words, I couldn't handle it. Of course, I had been extremely foolish. Finn didn't care about me at all. Suddenly Finn was right behind me, and he tried to gently grab my arm, but I quickly pulled away. I had to get away from here, right now. I ran down the hallway; couldn't I just have a normal day at school? I navigated myself into the bathroom and looked under each of stalls and ran into the one at the farthest end. I locked the stall and sat down on the toilet and put my hands to my face, and yes, I cried. I finally let out everything that had been building up inside me. I didn't expect anyone to come looking for me. Kurt was expecting me to meet him at his house to for the shopping trip and then sleepover, but I was no longer in the mood. I sat sniffling on the toilet and picked up my purse. I looked through its contents, and finally found what I was looking for, my hand mirror. I picked it up and looked into it. Was Quinn right, did I carry even an ounce of beauty? I stared back at my reflection, slowly observing my bloodshot eyes, mascara and tear stained face, and disheveled hair. I began to think of self-degrading thoughts. I would never be as pretty as Quinn. The waterworks began again, but quickly stopped as I heard the bathroom door open.

"Rachel?" I heard Finn's voice ask.

I sat quietly and lifted my feet up onto the toilet as well, so that he wouldn't see me. He began to bang each stall door open; I crossed my fingers in hope that he would give up before he got to my stall. Yeah, that didn't happen. He finally banged against my stall door, but I hadn't been expecting him to be coming up to my stall so quickly, so my hand mirror had clattered to the ground when I had been startled. I heard Finn drop to the ground, and that took a lot of nerve to do in a bathroom, and duck his head under the stall to check if I was in here.

His eyes met mine, and he crawled under the stall door and crammed himself into the small space.

He gave an awkward chuckle, and suddenly become very serious and whispered, "Rachel, you're so beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you that except me. Look at me, Rachel."

Ever since he had entered the small space, we had been squished pretty close together, and his strong smell had overwhelmed me, so I had looked down at the linoleum squares that covered the floor. I slowly brought my head up and met his adorable gaze. He slowly brought his hand up and wiped away the tears on my face. His hand lingered a few seconds longer than needed before he brought it back to his side.

I slowly shook my head, "Finn, you don't understand. I have been told by my peers all of my life that I was ugly. I can never compare to anyone like Quinn. I am no natural beauty."

Finn gave me an incredulous look, "Rachel, all of those girls are not even close to natural! They have probably had more nose jobs and facial surgeries than teeth that you have lost in your whole life!"

I looked down again; he was lying to me. He was just trying to make me feel better. I tried to feed myself these assumptions, but the tone of Finn's voice was so tempting to believe. I suddenly felt his smooth hand tilt my chin upward.

"Rachel," Finn sighed, "why can't you just believe me? What does it take for you to believe me, for you to forgive me again?"

"Finn," I began, "I told you-"

Before I could finish talking, Finn had leaned down and brought his face close to mine. My brain just turned off right then and there. I didn't react for a second.

I breathed slowly, "You can kiss me if you want to."

"I want to," he answered without hesitation.

He quickly closed the distance between us. The energy in his kiss was strongly evident. Kissing him was like watching beautiful fireworks explode, again, and again, and again. I quickly knew that I would never get tired of kissing him. His lips formed and fit perfectly against mine. He let out a quiet moan, and I opened my eyes slightly to watch his expression. That was when I realized how wrong this really was. He had a girlfriend. This was cheating. He finally pulled away to breathe, and quickly closed his eyes and leaned back in to continue kissing.

I pulled as far back as I could and examined Finn's look as he opened his eyes with confusion.

"What's wrong? I know I am not a great kisser, but I can get better," he questioned. I could see the obvious concern, confusion, and worry on his face.

I quieted those thoughts quickly, "Finn, you are an amazing kisser," I blushed as I said this, "I would love to kiss you again, but this can't happen, at least not now. You're in a relationship, Finn. I don't want you to become known as a cheater. So as far as I am concerned, nothing can happen between us until you solve your current relationship. I mean, unless, you don't want…. To be together."

I watched Finn's adorable mouth and swollen lips form an O, "Rachel, are you insane? I want to be with you, no, I _need_ to be with you. I have always felt a strong connection between us, ever since the first day of school. Whatever it takes, I am willing. Give me a few days to break up with Quinn, that's all I need."

I nodded slowly. His dedication for me was so strong. He was so proud; I watched his expression morph as though he had just won an amazing award.

"Rachel," Finn began, "I am just speechless."

I brought one finger to his mouth, "Then don't say anything. I need to go, Finn. I have plans tonight."

A sudden look of jealousy crossed his face.

"Plans?"

"Yes, Finn," I said with a roll of my eyes, "Plans with Kurt."

His face became quickly relieved.

"Now if you don't mind, I would like to get out of this stall," I complained.

He grinned, "Are you sure that you don't want to crawl on the floor?"

I stuck my tongue out at him and squeezed past him to unlock the stall.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and was appalled. I looked like a crazy sex freak or something, and all I had done was some light kissing!

I glared at Finn and he shrugged his shoulder with a proud smirk. After I fixed myself up, I told Finn that I needed to go now.

"I have to walk to Kurt's house now," I said.

"Let me give you a ride, Rachel," Finn pleaded.

I contemplated it for a few seconds and finally said yes as I had made the mistake of looking into Finn's eyes.

We walked outside to his car, and he opened up the door for me like a gentlemen. The image of Quinn being in the same situation that I was in now popped into my mind, but I shook it away without a second thought. Finn took his time driving me to Kurt's, partially because he didn't know where he was going, and he also wanted to spend more time with me.  
Finn could tell some really funny stories once he got going, once we got to Kurt's I grabbed my duffel bag and got ready to open the car door.

"Wait," Finn said.

"What?" I questioned.

He suddenly leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear, "I really want to kiss you again, right now."

His voice brought goose bumps to my arms in a matter of seconds; I whispered back into his ear, "Well, I guess you are just going to have to wait."

He looked at me with his begging eyes, and I felt guilt pulling on my heart. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and watched as he sat in a daze, lifting his hand to his face where I had kissed him.

"The cheek?" he asked in surprise and slight anger, "Now the memory of your lips is even fresher in my mind!"

I smirked and said, "Exactly. That was the point."

He gave me a look, but looked into my eyes for a few seconds longer, "Have a good time tonight, Rachel. I guess I will see you on Monday."

I got up to leave, but he pulled me back down and asked me for my number. I jotted it down, and complained that I was already later than I had expected. I quickly looked out of the windows and pressed my lips against Finn's and he gave me a smile. I finally got out of the car and walked to the door.

Kurt answered the door and dragged me inside.

"Diva," Kurt began, "Spill the beans. I saw Finn's oldie's car outside my house; it was suspiciously parked longer than just a friend dropping off another friend."

I related everything that had happened after school to him and by the end Kurt was jumping up and down.

"I know exactly what you need! It is time to show off that hot bod that you are hiding under those strange clothes! Finn won't be able to resist you anymore than he already can't! It's perfect!"

I had brought money with me, but Kurt _insisted_ that this makeover be free. He claimed that it was for the good of the world, and not only for the good of me. We got into his car and drove to Lima Mall. The mall closed at 10 and it was only 5 o' clock and I had feeling that Kurt was planning on staying until they closed. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out and saw that I had a new text.

It said: Hey it's Finn how's it going?

I wrote a quick response as Kurt guided me through the mall and had obviously decided which store he wanted to go to first. I was excited and nervous at the same time.

* * *

Author's Note: Hopefully this wasn't too long for your taste! I will try to update on the weekdays if I can! I wanted to add the shopping trip to this chapter, but I want it to be really good, so I need to be refreshed. Look for a new chapter tomorrow tonight!


	20. Exchanging Texts

Author's Note: Woohoo! Winter break! I will attempt writing a new chapter every night until Christmas. Then between Christmas and January 4th, I will not be updating. After that of course I will get back to updating. Sorry it is so hard for me to update during the week, with piano, homework, and sports, there is just too much at once. Thanks for having such great patience!

* * *

Wow. Just wow. I watched Rachel as she entered Kurt's house. Had all of that really just happened? I was wonderstruck. I had kissed Rachel, and she had kissed me back. I suddenly felt the urge to break up with Quinn right away. I couldn't do that to her though. Breaking up with someone through text was the worst. I would have to confront her face to face. It would be the gentlemanly and the right thing to do. I sighed and drove home, but I couldn't stop the smile that was bursting from my face. Rachel had feelings for me, and I had feelings for Rachel. Maybe it wasn't love. Maybe it wasn't meant to be, but we would never know until we tried. And I wanted to try this with Rachel. We may not be the typical couple, but the jock was definitely into the new kid, and if that was what it took, then I would take that risk.

I drove home probably looking like I was high. I felt like a donut that had just been glazed. A layer of sugar had just been sprinkled over me. I got to my house and parked my car in the driveway and opened the door. My mom greeted me right away.

"Finn, why are you smiling like that? Why are you home so late?" she breathed out all at once.

"Mom," I grinned at her, "Everything is fine. Today is just has just been a great day."

"Want to tell me about it?" she asked with a curious twinkle in her eyes.

I felt my cheeks turn a light shade of pink, but I wasn't one to keep things from my mom, so I told her everything that had happened.

I watched as her mouth twitched into something close to a smile, "So does this mean that you will be breaking up with Quinn?"

I nodded, "Probably. Honestly, I thought that I felt something for her, but in comparison to what I feel for Rachel… Well, let's just say that I know that Rachel feels right."

My mom nodded in understanding, "You know, I am really starting to like this Rachel girl. I would really like to meet her, Finn."

"Mom… She needs some time to adjust. Right now she seems very fragile in her surroundings. I don't know very much about her past, but I think she will slowly open up to me."

My mom smiled at me, "This is the first time in a long time that I have seen you looking so happy. It is definitely a change that looks good on you, Finn."

I flashed a grin and helped my mom prepare the meal for dinner. We were having my favorite, grilled cheese sandwiches. I found the frying pan added some oil and began warming it up on the stove.

My mom began gently dropping butter smeared pieces of bread into the sizzling oil. She took over from there. Although grilled cheese was my favorite food, I wasn't exactly the best at making it. I watched as she deftly made the sandwiches. My mom was great, and yeah I wasn't afraid to admit that she was my role model, the person that I looked up to.

Our small table had been set, and we now sat down and began munching on the sandwiches.

"So," my mom asked, "how is the football team coming along?"

I didn't hesitate with my answer, "I have faith in our team this year. The freshmen are a lot better than I expected. I see us having a good chance this year."

My mom didn't really understand football, but she tried her best to understand and be interested in it for my sake.

"That's good. I am sure that Coach Beiste will be a lot happier with some success this year."

I nodded in agreement. This was the most social that my mom and I had been for a while. We never talked very much. We didn't talk about things that we found unnecessary to tell one another. I loved my mom though, and she loved me. It wasn't obvious at first glance, but I knew it and she did too, and that was all that mattered.

I cleared our dishes after we were done eating and loaded them up into the dishwasher. My mom headed into her office to do some work, and I went upstairs to work on homework and, you know, maybe text Rachel….

As soon as I shut the door of my bedroom and sat down, I took my phone out of my pocket and added the number that had been written in Rachel's delicate and graceful handwriting.

I saved her as a contact and sent out a message.

Me: Hey it's Finn how's it going?

I impatiently waited for her response, constantly checking my phone every five seconds to see if I had a new message. After two minutes I had almost decided to stop checking, because she was probably busy doing girl things with Kurt, but my heart swelled when I heard the familiar ring of my cellphone when I received a new message.

I checked who the message was from, and sure enough, the message was from Rachel.

Rachel: Everything's going well, Finn. I hadn't been expecting you to text me after all you saw me only about an hour and a half ago. ;)

I smiled at her response. Call me weird, but Rachel made me laugh and smile almost too much. I hoped that I did the same for her.

Me: Well, I couldn't wait. An hour and a half is already too long. :)

Within seconds she responded; obviously I wasn't the only one who was enjoying this conversation.

Rachel: Haha, Finn. I will text you later, okay? I have to go, because Kurt is yelling at me for texting while walking in the mall.

I frowned at this message. I guess I really would have to do homework then.

Me: Do you really have to go?

Rachel: Yes, Finn. Apparently Kurt can't have me texting while he is searching for ways to fix my destroyed wardrobe.

I thought that Rachel's clothes that she wore right now were cute and adorable. Just like Rachel, her clothes reminded me of herself. I mean I wouldn't mind her showing off her curves and her body, but I didn't want her to get rid of her current wardrobe either.

Me: Keep one or two sweaters, Rach.

Rachel: Why? Tell me later, Kurt is literally ripping my phone out of my hands. Bye, Finn!

Me: Bye, Rach. :)

I sighed as I put my phone on the desk and lay down on my bed. I still couldn't exactly wrap my head around everything that had happened today. This morning Rachel had been intimidated by me, and now she was flirting with me like there was no tomorrow. I was definitely not complaining though. This was what I wanted, Rachel and I, together.

I picked my backpack up off of the floor and spent the rest of the night getting all of my assignments out of the way, so that I would be able to spend my weekend doing things that were more important to me.

Around 11 o' clock I finished everything and Rachel still hadn't texted me yet. I decided to leave her alone. She was spending quality time with Kurt, and I wanted to respect that. Around 2 o' clock, I fell asleep and ended up waking up at around 8.

The first thing that I did was pick up my phone and check for texts. I had about 5 texts from Rachel. They ranged between 7 AM and about 5 minutes ago.

Rachel: Finn? Sorry that I didn't text you yesterday, Kurt apparently had a lot more planned then expected, and I accidentally fell asleep.

Rachel: Finn?

Rachel: Finn, are you okay? Text me back.

Rachel: Finn, this isn't funny anymore. Seriously, text me back; I am getting worried.

Rachel: Are you mad at me?

I wrote out a quick reassuring text to Rachel and sent it before she could worry her little self anymore. Rachel was so cute when she was worrying about me. I couldn't imagine her worrying about anybody else in the way that she worried about me. I didn't know if it was because she really was perfect for me, or I just didn't want to imagine it, but I knew that for now I wanted to spend as much time with Rachel as possible.

I thought about our heated kiss yesterday in the bathroom stall. Kissing Rachel was probably something that I would never tire of. I suddenly felt an urge to see her face and look into her eyes. I had to wait though; I needed to keep my emotions for Rachel under control.

It wouldn't hurt to keep texting her though, right?

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Author's Note: So, obviously Finn has gone through some obvious change. What did you guys think? Please leave a review, so I know what you guys like or do not like. Also, is there still continuous interest in this story, or would you like to see something different? After I finish this story, I will be looking for a new prompt, so if anybody has any ideas leave a review or send me a PM. Thanks!


	21. Exciting Changes

Author's Note: Hey guys! Just as I promised, I updated a chapter tonight, yay! I just finished a ton of Christmas shopping, so I feel like being a computer geek for the rest of the night.

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My feet were aching. Kurt had been dragging me to about every store in the mall, and making try on pretty much everything. It had only been an hour. In one hand I carried a shopping bag, which held a white lace dress that Kurt had forced me to buy. I thought it was pretty, but I didn't feel pretty when I wore it. Every time that I asked Kurt how much more we needed to do, he would tell me that we still had a lot of work to do. Obviously, he was really looking to replace my _whole_ wardrobe, and I thought that he had been exaggerating.

The next store that we entered had me biting my lip to the point of drawing blood. I eventually relaxed though as Kurt complimented the clothing that I tried on; he had realized my discomfort. This kind of store was, I hate to say it, a slut store. It was where all of the popular girls would shop, but soon I found myself enjoying shopping with Kurt a lot more than I expected. About two and a half hours later, Kurt was observing as a professional makeup artist began to give me an official makeover. I watched as Kurt put all of the products she was using on my face and my hair into a complimentary bag and as he took notes on a large notepad he had brought along. I stifled a giggle; Kurt obviously took these kinds of things very seriously.

I stood in front of the mirror and stared up and down at my reflection. I didn't dare flatter Kurt, but I did feel a lot more attractive. Kurt looked at me with awe, as though seeing me for the first time. Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk.

"I know you like it, Rachel," he couldn't stop his full on grin from forming.

I blushed and smiled at him, "Kurt, it is… different, but I have never had a problem with change. I have to admit though; no one has ever taken this much time to help me like this. I would like to thank you, Kurt. I have never met someone like you before, and that is meant to be complimentary."

Kurt grinned, "No problem. I enjoy giving impromptu makeovers and major wardrobe changes like this, it brightens my day."

After that, we bought some smoothies for the ride home. I laughed, snorted, giggled, and wheezed within only fifteen minutes. Kurt was highly entertaining, and I didn't know if my body could take this kind of humor. We still had a whole night ahead, and I was actually excited.

To my delight, we spent the night watching _Funny Girl _and talking about Finn. Yes, it sounds like a cliché sleepover, but to us it was more than that. It was the bonding of a strong friendship.

"So," Kurt casually questioned, "is Finn a good kisser?"

I glanced at him and saw his cheeks tinged with a rosy pink.

"Kurt…." I dragged out, "do you have a crush on Finn?"

His eyes enlarged to twice their size and he brought his gaze to the ground.

"Did. I used to have a crush on him. I knew it would never happen, but I can dream, right? I am happy for you; I have no more feelings towards him whatsoever. It is just embarrassing to talk about, you know?"

I felt bad for Kurt. He didn't even feel welcome to have feelings toward another guy at school. How hard would that be to deal with?

I opened my arms and I wrapped him into my arms and gave him a tight embrace.

"Don't be embarrassed, Kurt. You will find someone."

I heard him release a sigh, "I know, Rachel. I know."

With that, we fell asleep with drooping eyelids. In the back of my mind I remembered that I had to do something for Finn, but I couldn't remember what. I was too tired to focus though, so I let sleep envelop me into its arms.

I slowly awoke and took in my surroundings. I saw Kurt on his bed still sleeping, so I quietly found my phone in my bag and checked the time. It was already 7, so I decided to get up.

Suddenly I remembered that I had promised to text Finn yesterday, and that I had completely forgotten.

I sent him an apology text and waited for his response. I worked on some homework and continuously sent texts every 10-15 minutes, but still no response. Maybe he was mad at me for not texting him last night and at least telling him. Just around 8 I finally received a text from Finn.

Finn: Rach, I'm fine. I just sleep a lot longer than you do. Why would I be mad at you?

I sighed in relief and wrote him a response. Kurt had been rustling the sheets for the past 5 minutes, so I decided to wake him up.

"Kurt?"

"Hmmhh?" he sleepily questioned.

"I need to get home, so I am going to walk home now. Is that okay?"

He nodded, still in a daze, so I wrote him note and left it on his bedside table. I packed up my stuff and quietly left his house. Yesterday had been the best day that I had experienced in Lima so far. I walked home at a brisk speed and found someone standing in front of my house.

They were carrying a plate of cookies and a basket of fruit, "Hey, Rach."

I smiled in response. Today would definitely be a great Saturday.

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Author's Note: Sorry, this didn't come out as long as I expected. I kind of ran out of things for Rachel for right now. I also know that a lot of people who were reading this story are probably on vacation right now or enjoying the holidays with their family. So I hope that those of you who read this will have a great Christmas Eve Eve tomorrow!


	22. Crushing Scenes

Author's Note: Hey, so I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I keep dragging out this story? I have been experiencing strong writer's block, but I think I have solved that problem. My question is, would you like to see a lot more from this story, or should I wrap it up soon and start something new? I am sorry I haven't updated forever! I went on vacation, and I didn't bring my laptop with me, so I just got back today and decided to write something new. Thanks for your patience. :) By the way, I decided to bring the time forward a little bit, so I can add a new twist.

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_Two Months Later_

Rachel and I's relationship had been going smoothly since the day of our first kiss. Sure like any other couple, we have had our arguments, but otherwise, I don't think we could be more in love. We had only begun the "I love you" fest about two weeks ago. Of course, I had loved Rachel a lot longer than that, and I was sure that she had loved me for a while now as well. I had already known it through her actions and the way she treated me, but it was always nice to hear her say it to me.

I knew this for sure though, I hadn't been this happy for so long. Now I realized what I had missing when I had been in a relationship with Quinn. What we had had hadn't even been a real relationship. I smiled as I arrived outside of Rachel's house. She was waiting outside for me to pick her up like usual. I had been driving her to school every day. Today she looked absolutely adorable. Sure, I thought that Kurt's makeover had made Rachel look beautiful, but Rachel always looked beautiful. She didn't need to wear makeup and showy outfits, so today I had asked her to wear the reindeer sweater that I had asked her to keep. Kurt would disapprove, but I know that Rachel had personally wanted to hold onto that sweater.

She walked to my car and opened the door, "Hey, babe."

She kissed my cheek and sat down. I looked at her, smiled, and said, "I love your sweater, Rach. How was your morning?"

She smiled back at me with blush-covered cheeks, and responded, "Good. I didn't get very much sleep though, thanks to a little Mr. Finn Hudson, who continuously texted me until 1 in the morning."

She glared at me briefly, but her glare quickly turned into a flirty wink. I grinned back, "Well, Ms. Rachel Berry, I am not the only one at fault here. You were the one who was responding to my texts."

She giggled and I gave her a pointed look, "All right, Finn, I guess you are right."

We arrived at the school and I parked as far from the school as possible. Rachel and I liked to do that, so that we could kiss in privacy and walk together even for a short distance.

I leaned down and connected my lips to hers. Rachel never failed to give me that sensation that I always craved. Her lips formed themselves against mine. I attempted to deepen the kiss, but Rachel shot me down.

"Finn," she began, "we can't be late. I promise we can finish this later, after school."

I pouted at her and sighed at last, "Fine, as long as you make sure to keep that promise. I was nowhere near done ravishing your lips."

She smiled as I walked around to her door and opened it for her. We began walking across the parking lot, hand in hand, and at a brisk pace. We finally reached the school and walked through the hallways to our lockers. Of course, as Rachel's boyfriend, I protected her from any of the jocks' slushie attacks. I told them to stay away from her, but as the rebellious jocks they were, I didn't trust them.

We reached our lockers in safety, and I walked Rachel to her class after we had taken everything that we needed. The day passed quickly. Soon lunch had passed over, and sixth period had finished.

I walked out of the bathroom and looked down the hallway. I saw Rachel at her locker, and then suddenly there was someone else behind her, someone who looked very familiar, but not a good kind of familiar. I felt an anger begin to bubble up in my stomach. I decided to stay where I was and watch how Rachel and Steven would begin to interact.

Rachel turned around and at the sight of Jesse, she dropped all of belongings onto the floor. To my great annoyance, Steven bent and began to help pick up her stuff.

Rachel finally took in who was in front of her, "Oh my God. You're Steven, the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline! What are you doing here?"

He shot her a glimpse of his pearly white teeth. I clenched my teeth together tightly. I was doing what I could to restrain myself. I would cut in when it became necessary though.

"I've just transferred here from Carmel High," Steven responded, "I was wondering if you could help me join the Glee Club. I remember your remarkable voice from Sectionals. That was the only way that New Directions was able to pull through with first place."

Rachel blushed. This jackass was actually transferring to this school? How dare he make my girl blush? I was experiencing very deep jealousy.

Rachel responded, "Why thank you. You have a very nice voice yourself. I would be glad to lead you to the choir room, and I am sure that Mr. Schue will let you join right away."

Before I could interfere and talk to Rachel, they began walking to the choir room. I slowly dragged behind quietly. I felt forgotten. Rachel hadn't even thought of me since Steven's arrival. That couldn't be true though. She must've realized that I would have met up with her in the choir room.

I felt a growing feeling that Steven would begin to cause problems between Rachel and I's relationship.

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Author's Note: What did you guys think? I came up with what I thought would turn into an interesting plot. I hope that this chapter was fairly enjoyable? Any feedback is welcome! Thank you Hazzlilz! I sometimes can't remember what I wrote a while ago, so thanks for letting me know! Jesse is now Steven. Haha. My made up villain :) Thanks again!


	23. Jealous Words

Author's Note: Sorry again for the whole mistake in the ending of the last chapter. I totally forgot that Jesse was supposed to be Rachel's ex-boyfriend who cheated on her in St. Paul, so the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline is now a character who I made up; his name is Steven Parker, a very attractive junior. But don't worry; no one is more attractive than Finn. :)

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I led Steven to the choir room with a smile on my face. I was looking forward to spending more time with him, and being able to pick up some extremely helpful singing tips from him. Steven was very different from what I expected. I thought that he was an uptight snob, but really he was very polite and gentleman-like. Suddenly a jolt of panic shot through me; oh my God, I had completely forgotten about Finn. The panic was soon replaced with guilt though. What was he thinking about me? Even worse, what if he had seen me walking with Steven to the choir room? That would crush him. Finn was easily made jealous. Just seeing me conversing with another guy was enough to get him into a bad mood. I tried to gulp down the nervousness that I was feeling, but the feeling refused to leave. Steven was saying something to me, but I had already checked out of the conversation.

I quickened our pace, and soon we reached the choir room. To my dismay, Finn was nowhere to be found in the room. I looked up at the clock; there was only two minutes left until Glee Club was supposed to start. Finn was never late. I found two seats that gave me the best view of the door, and had Steven sit next to me after talking to Mr. Schue. I had saved another seat on the other side of me for Finn.

Soon after Steven had sat down, I sighted Finn striding through the door. He looked pissed; I watched his glance shift over to Steven, and his face hardened. I quickly made eye contact with him and his face softened slightly. I nodded to the chair next to me, immediately communicating to him that I had saved it for him.

He walked over quietly and sat down next to me. His arm reached around my body and his hand lightly caressed my shoulder. I gave him a kiss and picked up his hand and clutched it in mine. Suddenly his mouth was next to my ear.

"You didn't wait for me," he whispered in his deep, husky voice. I felt a shiver run down my spine and goosebumps rise on my arms.

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could fix any wrongs that had been created, Finn continued, "We can talk after Glee. Don't worry, Rachel, I could never be mad at you." He kissed the spot right under my ear, making me gasp, and then he leaned back into his seat and winked at me.

Mr. Schue finally entered the room and began to talk, "Okay guys, I would like to introduce the newest member of the New Directions, Steven Parker!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Finn's jaw lock and his eyes narrow. Obviously, Steven and Finn were not off to a good start.

As soon as Mr. Schue finished introducing us to Steven, he pulled out a top hat.

"The reason I was a little late coming to class today is because I was busy preparing this," Mr. Schue pointed to the hat, "In this hat are the names of everyone in the class, except Steven, of course, but that is easily solved. I will reach into the hat and pull one name and then another and those two people will become duet partners. Duets are this week's assignment. I would like to see the just the right amount of emotion, and cooperation between whoever is your partner."

He reached into the hat and grabbed one piece of paper that was folded, and then another, "Tina and Brittany," he continued on and finished soon, "Artie and Mercedes, Kurt and Santana…"

After announcing the first partnership, Finn had whispered into my ear, "Cross your fingers."

Of course, I wanted Finn to be my partner. There was nobody else that I would rather sing a soulful duet to than Finn. I was sure he felt the same way.

"Sam and… Finn, I had picked Puck's name at first, but considering that he has managed to get himself into juvie, he will not be able to participate."

I heard Finn's sigh of disappointment, and then a grunt of anger. Just like me, he had realized that the only other people left was Steven and I. Sure, it would be a good experience to learn new things, but was it good for Finn and I's relationship?

Mr. Schue finally finished, "That leaves Steven and Rachel."

Everyone could sense the tension between Steven and Finn. The room quickly became quiet.

Mr. Schue knew as well, but quickly dismissed it, "We will be expecting a respectable performance from each partnership by the end of the week. The winners will win a surprise gift."

Glee passed by slowly, and by the end as people began to leave, I approached Mr. Schue as Finn left to meet me at our lockers.

"Mr. Schue," I began, "do you think it would be possible for me to…. Change duet partners?"

Mr. Schue sighed, "Rachel, I am afraid that wouldn't be fair to the others. If you didn't notice, there were others who were very obviously dissatisfied by the pairings. I realize that there is tension between Steven and Finn, but maybe a duet is part of what could solve that tension. Use it to your advantage, Rachel."

I took that as a dismissal, and left the classroom. I looked down the hallway and saw Finn talking to Steven in front of our lockers.

"—Stay away from Rachel, Steven. We are together. Get it? We are in a relationship. I don't want this to change."

Before this could get out of hand, I ran to where they were standing, and pulled Finn's arm.

"Finn, babe, don't you think it is time to go home?"

"Sure, Rach, I was just talking to Steven. I'll see you around, Steven," he responded grumpily to the both of us.

I waved goodbye to Steven and walked hand in hand with Finn to his car. I felt his body and anger begin to relax as we got into his car.

"Finn," I began.

"Rachel, I don't want to hear it. I saw the way that Steven has been acting towards you. He's into you. It's obvious to anyone. I don't like that. You are already fascinated by his talent, how much effort would it take for you to become into his looks and even worse, him? I am doing this for us."

My heart swelled with emotion due to Finn's touching words, but I needed to say something.

"Finn, I love you, and only you. I want you to know that this duet assignment that I am doing with Steven doesn't mean anything. We will just sing a song together, and then just remain as acquaintances. If there is a problem with his so called attraction towards me, then I will do what I can to solve it myself. If I can't, then I will let you know. Okay?"

Finn hesitated for a few seconds and nodded. We finally reached his house and ended up on the couch in his basement. He was hovering above me with swollen lips, and he leaned forward and was practically breathing into my mouth, and whispered, "I love you so much, Rachel."

Our lips met in pure bliss.

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Author's Note: AH! Sorry again for all of my freaking stupid mistakes, I do my best to fix them, but my best isn't that great :/ Thanks for everything! I have thought up a plot that I think you guys might like? There'll be a new chapter tomorrow! Thanks!


	24. Dripping Tears

Author's Note: I don't really have much to say today, except that I wish that January 24th would come sooner, so that I can watch some new episodes of Glee! Hope you guys enjoy!

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I spent most of night pacing my bedroom and lying down on my bed deep in thought. I know that Rachel told me that she only had feelings for me, but I couldn't help but worry about Rachel choosing Steven over me. I tugged at my hair in frustration; my mom had been trying to ask me what was wrong all night, but I had said that I didn't want to talk about it. Now that I knew what being in a relationship with Rachel was like, I don't think that I would be able to be the same without Rachel.

Before I could stress too much over the current situation, I decided to contact Rachel so as to calm myself down.

Me: Hey, Rach.

I received a response within a minute.

Rachel: Hi, Finn! I have been baking ever since you dropped me off at my house ;)

Me: Why?

Rachel: For you of course! Am I not allowed to bake for my amazing boyfriend? I am making your favorite, banana bread. :)

I smiled at that. Rachel was just that kind of person. I loved her that much more for it though.

Me: Thanks, babe :) you didn't have to though, but I have to admit, I do love your banana bread. ;) Guess what else I love? You.

Rachel: I love you too, Finny :) I need to go take the banana bread out of the oven; I will see you tomorrow morning, Finn! :)

My face erupted into a full-on grin at that. Nobody but Rachel could make me feel like this. She had brought me from the pits of despair to this within about five minutes. I know, we sound like one of those cheesy lovey-dovey artificial couples, but it isn't like that at all. What we have is whole lot stronger than that. I just wasn't sure if Rachel would exchange what we had for Steven and the learning experience that we could receive.

_The Next Day_

The day had passed with nothing exciting, except of course, my time with Rachel. Thoughts of her flavorful banana bread and sweet, soft kisses kept me distracted all day. That was of course, until after school. Mr. Schue had canceled Glee today so that we would have more time to prepare our songs with our partners. Sam and I weren't performing until Thursday, so I wasn't too worried. What did worry me though were the words that came out of Rachel's mouth when I met up with her to give her a ride home after school.

"Finn," she began nervously, "I know that you won't like this, but…"

"What?" I asked. I had a feeling about what she was going to say.

"Steven is going to drive me to his house, so that we can work on our duet. We are performing on Wednesday, Finn. We are also going to practice tomorrow," she spoke these words so fast, that if I wasn't Rachel's boyfriend, then I would have no idea what she just said.

My excitement of spending time with Rachel had immediately changed into anger towards Steven. Rachel was going over to Steven's house. Those six words repeated in my mind, echoing like I was reliving something that I really wanted to forget, but couldn't. I did want to forget though. I wanted to forget that Steven had ever transferred here. I didn't want to be the creepy overprotective boyfriend that Rachel would break up with though. I didn't own her. My love for her was strong enough to allow her this time.

So I reluctantly nodded my head.

"I am going to keep my phone on loud though, just in case, and call me when you get home, okay Rach?"

I knew that Rachel thought I was begin paranoid, maybe I was, but I still didn't trust Steven. The way that he looked at Rachel made my blood bubble. He looked at her as though she was just a piece of meat for him to devour, and that worried me.

I bent down and kissed Rachel's forehead.

"Don't worry about me too much, Finn. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know," I responded dejectedly.

I turned to walk away, but before I could, Rachel called my name loudly. I turned around, and watched as she made hand signals to match the words coming from her mouth.

"I love you, Finn."

A smile grew upon my face, and I yelled back to her, "I love you too, Rach."

I drove home as quickly as I could. I felt lonely sitting in my car alone. I already missed Rachel.

I spent the rest of the night conversing with my mom, and thinking about Rachel.

At around 7 o' clock I finally received a call from her.

When I saw the caller ID, I quickly picked up my phone, "Hello?" Rachel asked on the other end.

"Hi, Rach, are you okay?"

I heard Rachel's voice, "I'm fine, Finn. I just have a really bad headache. I really want to go to sleep."

I felt my brow furrow with worry. Why would she have a headache?

"Okay, Rach. I will let you sleep. See you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too, Finn."

I hung up and thought about our conversation. Rachel was acting very different.

_The Next Day_

I drove up to Rachel's house, and to my surprise, Rachel wasn't waiting outside as usual. I quickly got out of the car and walked to the door. I knocked, and the door was opened by one of Rachel's dads.

"Hello, Mr. Berry, is Rachel here?" I asked.

"Yes," he responded, "but she isn't awake yet, she wanted to sleep in, so I will be driving her to school today though."

I nodded and thanked him, but before I could go back to my car, he said, "Finn, I would like to thank you for taking such great care of my daughter."

"It's no problem. I love her, sir."

"I know," he said.

With that he shook my hand, and I left. I drove to school and went to my first period class. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen Rachel yet, so I decided that she was either going to get a tardy, or not come to school at all.

I sat down in my seat, which just happened to be next to Steven's. I avoided looking at him, and stared at the front of the classroom instead.

I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around slowly. Steven had poked me. He opened his mouth to speak, "Hello, Finn."

"What do you want, Steven?"

"I wanted to tell you something," he hesitantly released, "I don't expect you to take it lightly though."

"Just spit it out," I said. I was already tired of his voice.

"As you know, Rachel came over to my house last night to work on our duet."

I nodded in agreement.

"Finn… Rachel tried to kiss me. I didn't kiss her though. I told her that it would be wrong, because you were in a relationship with her, but she told me that you wouldn't have to know."

I felt the room around me spin. Rachel? My dear Rachel had tried to kiss Steven? This couldn't be.

"This doesn't sound like Rachel," I remarked. I was surprised to hear that my voice had become two octaves higher.

"Think about the facts, Finn. She isn't at school today. I told her that I would tell you about it. She was too embarrassed to show her face to you. She was desperate, Finn."

This couldn't be. Was Rachel really not satisfied? The thought had passed through my mind several times, but I had never thought to talk to Rachel about it. Was I good enough for Rachel? Maybe she just pitied me all along. What she really wanted was a future Broadway hunk like Steven. Had the past two months really just been a fantasy that I had been living in my mind?

My eyes stung with a pain that I hadn't known for a long time. The water dripped slowly down my cheeks. I was crying.

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Author's Note: Poor Finn. :( I originally had planned something different, but then I found that it didn't work as well as I had expected, so I came up with this. Hopefully you guys are still entertained? Please review! I love reading your guys' reviews; they make my days super-duper freaking amazing!


	25. Confession Time

Author's Note: Yay! I have managed to update daily for the past few days! I just wanted to keep you guys occupied, because school is starting up again, so I am not sure how much time I will have to update this story. Hopefully it doesn't feel like I have been rushing the plot too quickly, but I feel like I have been dragging it out, and after 5-10 more chapters or less, I think this story will be completed. Enjoy! ;)

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I had woken up feeling worse than last night. I had lied to Finn; I hadn't really had a headache. I had been afraid of confiding the truth to him. The truth of what had happened last night at Steven's.

I knew that I wanted to stay home today. I couldn't face Finn without feeling more guilt. Knowing that Finn would be coming to pick me up this morning, I had told my dad, the one who wanted to open the door, exactly what he should tell Finn. I sighed and looked into my bathroom mirror. Could Finn forgive me for what I had done?

_Last Night at Steven's House_

Being a gentleman, Steven had opened the door to his very nice convertible for me to get in. I had thanked him politely. He wasn't the same as Finn though, his car was nicer than his, he had a nice face, but those weren't all of the things that mattered. Finn was so much hotter though. I smiled at the thought of Finn's muscles and his toned body.

Steven glanced at me sideways and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

I blushed in surprise. When had he decided to start looking at me?

"Just… Thinking about my boyfriend," I responded with complete honesty.

"Oh. Him," Steven scoffed with an obviously sour tone.

I gave him a quizzical look. I let it go though, and we drove to his house in silence.

We arrived and my mouth dropped in shock, "You live here?"

"Yes, Rachel. My family is very wealthy," he proudly announced.

I stared at the house in question. It didn't seem like a house though; it looked like a mansion. I got out of the car and waited as he unlocked the door. I carefully walked across the perfectly polished white floor, afraid of tracking dirt onto it.

"Do your parents know I am here?" I asked nervously. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a great idea.

"No," he answered, "They won't mind though. Both of them are at work, so we are alone." He smirked at me, and I swallowed nervously. Should I reschedule, make up some excuse, or call Finn to come and pick me up? No. I wouldn't back out so easily. I was Rachel Barbra Berry. I could fight my own battles.

"Let's go practice. I promised my dads that I would be back at a decent time," I stated. My voice had come out a lot weaker than I had planned.

"Sure. Let's go upstairs to my room," Steven announced.

I quietly gulped as I followed him up the stairs. He led me down a hallway, and after passing five doors, he finally stopped and opened the sixth one.

"This is it," he said.

I nodded, "Nice room."

He brought a chair for me to sit down on and he brought another and sat in front of me. I subtly scooted my chair back a few centimeters, and took out the folder that I had brought with me.

"So, here are the song ideas that I have come up with. These songs are all classical duets, so I am sure that it won't be hard for either of us to quickly pick up the lyrics. So-," Before I could finish talking, Steven had grabbed my chin and had moved my head in a way that had forced my eyes to stare into his.

I stared into the grayish green orbs and watched his lips curl into a smirk. He pulled my face forward, so that our lips were only two centimeters away. I tried to pull away, but he held my chin in a tight grip. He began to move his lips closer to mine and before I could resist his lips were on his, and I had begun to kiss him back. Disgusted with him and even more so with myself, I pulled away from his dirty mouth and wiped my lips on the back of my hand. Why had I kissed him back? I had never felt anything for Steven, but I couldn't think about this right now. I needed to say something to Steven.

"Kiss me, Rachel, I know you want to. You kissed me back. Think about it. Finn is just a Lima loser. You have bigger dreams than him," Steven said, trying to feed me lies.

"Steven, stop. You know this isn't right. I love Finn. I don't understand why you would try and get into the way of what Finn and I have. I can't believe that this all just happened. I need to leave. I don't care about the duet right now. I am going to call my dads to have them come and pick me up; they are shopping only a few minutes away from here.

I had sat and cried until about 7 o' clock. I finally decided to text Finn and notify him that I was fine. I wasn't fine though. I was an emotional wreck. I couldn't face Finn tomorrow, after what I had done.

_Back To the Present Time_

Tears stained my face as I relived yesterday. What would Finn think of me? He wouldn't want to have anything to do with me. Steven would tell Finn what I had done. About how I had kissed him back when I had still been in a relationship with Finn. I would do anything to keep Finn by my side, even if it resorted in getting down onto my knees and begging.

Why had I kissed Steven back? Maybe the same lies that Steven had tried feeding me had run through my head as well, except completely different at the same time. I knew I wasn't good enough for Finn. He was the head quarterback, the most popular guy in school, and he could have any girl at McKinley that he wanted. Why me? I wasn't anything special, just an immature girl that had run away from her life in St. Paul because she couldn't deal with her high school drama.

Where would I be in 4 years? Who knew? I didn't know that I would be on Broadway. That was only a dream. Dreams don't always come true. All I knew for sure though was that I wanted to be with Finn. I wanted him be the one to hold me when I didn't get accepted to my dream school, NYADA. I wanted him to be the one to tell me that everything would be alright because we had each other.

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Author's Note: Don't worry. I know that Rachel seems very wrong to be kissing Steven back, but she was insecure about how Finn felt towards her. You'll see Finn's reaction in the next chapter. Yikes. Things have definitely taken a turn for the worst. Tell me what you thought, what you think will happen next, your favorite food, or whatever you want! I just like to read anything you guys write! Just write random letters for all I care! Hope you guys had a good winter break! Mine ended today :( Thanks again!


	26. Tying Up of Loose Ends

Author's Note: My prediction was right. I didn't have any time to write a chapter this week. On the bright side though, I have been brainstorming new stories to write after this one, I haven't decided on anything yet though, but I think I have some good ideas that might be worthwhile to visit. Anyways, it has been a _long_ week, so I'm glad that today is Friday :) I am actually going to finish up the story with this chapter. I will also be including a Rachel POV in the end of this chapter after everything with Finn. Starting in February I am going to start to become busier, because I am going to begin training to become a soccer referee, which means I will have to start running and getting into better shape, and unfortunately, spending less time with my laptop, but I could never give up on my Finchel fanfics :) Enjoy!

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I was not in the mood to think about the speed that I was traveling at. There could be a police car right on my tail, and I wouldn't have even noticed. I was too caught up in my own thoughts. I parked my car in front of Rachel's house; I sighed and looked at the reflection of my sad eyes in the car mirror. I wanted to right things between me and Rachel. The words that had escaped from Steven's mouth had been so hard to believe though. I had to know for sure though.

Rachel had no idea that I had come to her house to talk to her. I knocked on the familiar mahogany door that I saw almost every day. To my surprise, Rachel herself answered the door.

"Finn?" she suddenly seemed very shy and unlike the Rachel Berry that I knew.

"Can I come in?" I asked abruptly.

Instead of saying anything, she opened the door wider in response and began climbing up the stairs to her room. I followed quietly. She sat down on her very pink bed in her very pinkly decorated bedroom, and I awkwardly stood in front of her. She patted the spot next to her, but I couldn't bear to be too close to Rachel before I knew the truth.

"Is it true?" I bluntly questioned, "What Steven told me. Is it true?"

She tried to act oblivious at first, "I don't know what you are talking about." I saw right through her lie though.

"You know what I am talking about, Rachel, the kiss that Steven explained to me with exquisite detail?"

"Finn," she whispered, barely audible.

"So it's true?" I bitterly asked, "You did kiss him."

"Let me explain!" she pleaded.

I shook my head softly, "I'm sorry, Rachel. I don't want to hear more details about how amazing the kiss that you shared with Steven was."

She turned her head away from me for a few seconds to collect herself, and turned back to me with tears streaming down her face.

"You don't understand, Finn."

"No. I understand completely well. I was never good enough, was I? I was just conveniently there, right?"

"No, Finn! It isn't like that all!"

I stared at the ground as she pleaded with me.

"I just—"

I said the words before I thought them, "I think that we need to take a break."

Rachel's face drooped with those words.

"I think it is for the best," I continued, "I need to think about things. We both need time and space to think over things and about whether or not we really want to be together. This isn't a break-up."

I grimaced at the thought of "taking a break". There would be no more enthusiastic and bubbly Rachel to brighten my day. That was, at least, until I could straighten things out in my head.

I wiped away the tears from Rachel's face. My chest was throbbing and my throat had become dry, "Don't cry, Rachel. Please don't cry."

Rachel laid down onto her bed with her face buried into her pillows, and I stood there and watched her body as it shook with her heart-wrenching sobs. I couldn't handle it very long though, and quietly exited her room and made my way back to my car.

I leaned back in my seat; when had things become so wrong?

_The Next Day_

Fortunately, Rachel had asked Mr. Schue to cancel her and Steven's performance, so Sam and I's performance date had been moved to today. We weren't exactly what you were called prepared, but we were more like improv artists. Five minutes before our performance we picked a simple classic rock song that earned us credit as good singers, but wouldn't earn us the prize. I didn't care though. The only prize I wanted was Rachel. I watched her as I sang. She stared back at me with the familiar longing in her eyes that I knew so well.

I had spent most of my time since yesterday thinking things over in my mind. Flipping, twisting, pulling, and stirring my thoughts together to try and create something decent out of it all. Things were still in a jumble though. I knew why though. I hadn't really known much, except the things that Steven had told me about Rachel. I had lost my chance to hear Rachel's side of the story, though. I had shot her down with no sympathy.

I was standing in the parking lot trying to find the key that would unlock my car when I looked up in hope when I heard the most familiar footsteps. I could never forget them. Sure enough, there was Rachel Berry walking towards me with a look that I couldn't decipher.

Before I could react, she was standing right in front of me and was opening her mouth, "Finn, Steven told me that . . . that you . . . slept with Santana. Is it true?"

Slept with Santana? God, no. I was still a virgin, and if I even wanted to have sex anytime in high school, it would be with Rachel.

"What? No! Of course not!"

I watched as Rachel's whole body seemed to lose its tenseness at the sound of my words. She sighed in relief.

"I know that you are still mad at me, Finn, but can we talk?"

_Rachel's POV_

Finn nodded simply in response to my question.

"I know that things have seemed complicated for us recently, but I want you to know that I love you, and that the only reason that I kissed Steven was because I thought that I wasn't good enough for you. I didn't understand why you had picked me when you could potentially have any other girl in this school. I felt like I was holding you back."

Finn's face changed into incredulity, "You? Hold me back? Are you crazy? Rachel, you could _never_ hold me back. All this time, I thought that you had just been waiting for someone like Steven to come along and sweep you off your feet with his Broadway superpowers that I don't have."

I giggled for the first time in what felt like weeks.

"Finn, you're my hero. You know that, right?"

He blushed ashamedly, and I smiled at him.

"You don't need to have any Broadway superpowers. I just want to have the Finn Hudson that I know and love.

He leaned in to kiss me and our lips met and caressed each other's. My heart began to beat faster and my body began to feel warmer. He pulled away and grinned back at me.

"Need a ride home?"

"I would love one."

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Author's Note: So yes. This is the end of this story. I was thinking about making my next story be rated-M for, you know, "citrusyness". Not sure if I would feel comfortable writing those kinds of stories, but those are my favorite ones to read, and they seem to be other's favorites as well. I hope that you didn't find the end of this story to dissatisfying, but honestly I was getting a little tired of this story, so I just decided to tie it up. If you have any suggestions or prompts then let me know. Thanks for reading this story! I love all my fans! 3


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